Item number: A377

Year: AD 1890-1908

Material: Silver

Size: 23.5 x 23.5 x 1.4 mm

Weight: 5.4 g

Manufactured by: Guangdong, Canton Mint

Provenance:

1. Noonans 2022

2. D. L. F. Sealy Collection

This silver coin is a “Guangxu Yuanbao” minted by the “Canton Mint” in Guangdong Province starting from the 16th year of the Guangxu Emperor’s reign (AD 1890). The coin features teeth on both sides and has a serrated edge. Both sides of the coin are covered with a speckled patina, which slightly obscures the details and affects the clarity of the inscriptions and designs.

The obverse side of the coin features a front-facing dragon at the centre. The outer periphery on both sides is divided by a four-petalled floral motif. The inscription in the upper border is spelt using the Wade-Giles system as “KWANG TUNG PROVINCE,” while the lower border denotes the denomination as “1 MACE AND 4.4 CANDAREENS.”

The reverse of the coin features a beaded circle with the Chinese inscription “Guangxu Yuan Bao” in the center. The central inscription in Manchu script, “Guangxu Yuan Bao,” remains clearly visible. The upper part of the circle is engraved with the minting location, “Made by Guangdong Province,” while the lower part indicates the coin’s denomination with the weight measurement of “Kuping 1 mace and 4.4 candareens.”

After the Opium Wars, the Qing Empire intensified its trade relations with the Western world. During this process, foreign silver with lower silver content flooded into China, leading to a significant outflow of Chinese Sycee silver with higher silver content.This exacerbated financial difficulties for the government and social unrest. In the 13th year of the Guangxu reign (AD 1887), Zhang Zhidong, the Governor-General of Guangdong and Guangxi, submitted a memorial to the imperial court, requesting the introduction of machinery from the British Birmingham mint to establish a mint in Guangdong for the production of silver coins.

After approval from the imperial court, in the 15th year of Guangxu’s reign (AD 1889), the “Canton Mint” was established in the eastern suburbs of Guangzhou. This marked the beginning of machine-struck currency production in China. The first silver coin attempted by Guangdong Province had a denomination of “7 Mace 3 Candareens.” Due to its slightly heavier weight, most of these coins were eventually recalled and melted down. In the 15th year of the Guangxu Emperor’s reign (AD 1889), a lighter version, the “7 Mace 2 Candareens” silver coin, was introduced after reducing the weight. However, the design featuring both Chinese and English inscriptions on the same side raised concerns for the central government as it did not meet the requirements of the national situation. It was not until the following year that versions with separate displays of Chinese and English were put into mass production, totalling five denominations in all.

物件編號: A377

年代: 公元 1890-1908 年

材料: 銀

尺寸: 23.5 x 23.5 x 1.4 mm

重量: 5.4 g

製造地: 廣東, 廣東錢局

來源:

1. 諾南斯 2022

2. 大衛.萊斯利.福布斯.西利舊藏

該硬幣是光緒16年(公元1890年)起，由廣東省「廣東錢局」鑄造之「光緒元寶」銀幣。硬幣雙面皆具內齒及外廓，幣邊為齒邊。同時硬幣雙面皆覆蓋一層斑點狀的包漿，對於細節的判讀造成些許影響。

硬幣正面的中央為一隻正面蟠龍。外圍的兩側以四瓣花飾為分界，上環的英文是以威妥瑪系統拼寫的「廣東省」(KWANG TUNG PROVINCE)，下環是幣值「一錢四分四釐」(1 MACE AND 4.4 CANDAREENS)。

硬幣背面有一道珠圈，珠圈內有中文「光緒元寶」四字，正中央以滿文鐫刻「光緒元寶」清晰可見。上環鐫刻鑄造地「廣東省造」，下環則是以重量計價的「庫平一錢四分四釐」硬幣面額。

鴉片戰爭後，清帝國跟西方世界日益頻繁的貿易過程中，含銀量較低的洋銀大舉流入中國，造成含銀量較高的中國紋銀大量外流，加重政府財政困難和社會動盪。光緒13年(公元1887年)，時任兩廣總督的張之洞為此上奏朝廷，奏請從英國喜敦公司引入機器，於廣東設局鑄造銀元。經朝廷奏准後，光緒15年(公元1889年)設立於廣州市東郊的「廣東錢局」投入生產，開啟中國機鑄貨幣的濫觴。

廣東省嘗試的第一款銀幣面額為「七錢三分」由於重量稍重，最後多半遭回收鎔鑄。光緒15年(公元1889年)，減重後推出的「七錢二分」銀幣，因為中英文併呈在同一面的設計，為中央顧慮不符合國情要求改正。隔年方才以個別陳列中英文的版型投入量產，總計有五種面額。