Digital museum showcasing the collection of worldwide legends over the years! 千古不朽博物館展示多年來收藏的世界傳奇故事!
Qing Dynasty
Kangxi Tongbao
Shanxi Province Bureau
(Manchu Script Version 1)
清
康熙通寶
山西省局造
(滿文字體一版)
Item number: A354-3
Year: AD 1661-1662 / 1667-1670
Material: Brass
Size: 27.1 x 27.1 x 0.9 mm
Weight: 4.8 g
Manufactured by: Shanxi Province Bureau
Provenance: Fuchin Coin 2024
This coin was a circulating currency known as “Kangxi Tongbao,” minted during the reign of the third emperor of the Qing Dynasty, Kangxi, spanning from AD 1661 to AD 1722. It was produced at the coin mint in Taiyuan, the capital of Shanxi Province.
The coin is circular with a square hole in the center, primarily made of brass. The outer part of the coin forms two concentric circles, with the outer circle in a brass color, smooth and without any patterns. The inner circle on the obverse side, surrounding the square hole, features the inscription “Kangxi Tongbao” in regular script at the top, bottom, right, and left in sequence. The reverse side of the coin is centred around a square hole, with the Manchu script “ᠶᡠᠠᠨ” engraved on the left and the corresponding Chinese character “Yuan” on the right, indicating the minting location.
Compared to other pieces in the museum’s collection, the Manchu script on the reverse side of this coin features a clearer dot on the right side, and the overall form is more slender.
During the Kangxi era, in addition to the central mints “Bao Quan Bureau” and “Bao Yuan Bureau,” a total of 24 regional mints were established. In Shanxi Province, there were two distinct minting units: the “Datong Prefecture Bureau,” which provided military pay for the front-line troops guarding the Great Wall during the Ming Dynasty, and the “Shanxi Province Bureau,” located in the provincial capital, Taiyuan.
In the 18th year of the Shunzhi reign (AD 1661), after Kangxi ascended the throne, various regional mints, including the Shanxi Province Bureau, received samples and began minting Kangxi Tongbao coins. However, in the following year, the 1st year of the Kangxi reign (AD 1662), a new policy retained only the Jiangning Bureau in Nanjing at the local level, temporarily closing all other regional mints. It was not until the 6th year of Kangxi (AD 1667) that the Shanxi Province Bureau was granted approval by the Ministry of Revenue to resume operations. Nonetheless, in the 9th year of Kangxi (AD 1670), it received another order to cease operations, and no further Kangxi Tongbao coins were minted thereafter. In the first year of Yongzheng’s reign (AD 1723), the imperial court abolished the administrative structure of Datong Prefecture Bureau, making the Shanxi Province Bureau the sole minting bureau in the entire province.