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, Guangxu Yuanbao,
Emperor Guangxu 27th, 7.2 Candareens,
Kiang-Nan Province (Xin Chou & Big Flower Version)
清 光緒元寶
庫平七錢二釐 光緒二十七年
江南省造 (辛丑&大花版)
Item number: A417
Year: AD 1901
Material: Silver
Size: 18.5 x 18.5 x 1.0 mm
Weight: 2.75 g
Manufactured by: Kiang-nan Mint Bureau Silver Dollar Bureau, Nanjing
Provenance:
1. Noonans 2022
2. D. L. F. Sealy Collection
This is a Guangxu Yuanbao coin minted in the 27th year of the Guangxu Emperor’s reign (AD 1901) by the “Kiang-nan Mint Bureau” in Nanjing.Its denomination is stated as Kuping 7.2 Candareens. On the obverse features a beaded outer ring, with a five-clawed coiled dragon exhaling a fireball at its centre. On either side of the dragon, six-petalled flowers serve as dividers.
Based on the differences in die size, the “six-petal flower” design can be further divided into “Big Flower” and “Small Flower” versions. This item is the “Big Flower” version, characterised by the fusion of the central pistil and the surrounding petals into a single entity.
The upper edge is inscribed with “KIANG NAN PROVINCE” in English, while the lower edge indicates the denomination “7.2 CANDAREENS.”
Although the Qing government abolished Kiangnan Province as early as the 29th year of the Qianlong Emperor’s reign (AD 1764), dividing it into Anhui and Jiangsu provinces, the name persisted and continued to be used to refer to Nanjing until the end of the Qing Dynasty.
On the reverse side, there is a beaded border, within which the characters “Guangxu Yuanbao” are engraved in both Chinese and Manchu scripts. The outer edge of the obverse features the sexagenary cycle year “Xin Chou” on both sides, dividing the space. The top inscription indicates the minting location “Minted in Jiangnan Province”, while the bottom inscription states the denomination “Kuping 7.2 Candareens.”
The milling method in Nanjing began in the 22nd year of the Guangxu Emperor’s reign (AD 1896) under the approval of Liu Kunyi, the Governor-General of Liangjiang, who petitioned the court for permission. The following year, the mint was successfully established and put into operation, with machinery and dies imported from the renowned Birmingham Mint in the United Kingdom. Despite hiring foreign experts to supervise the manufacturing process, the silver coins produced in Nanjing were still of inconsistent quality and had lower silver content, making it difficult to compete with copper coins and Mexican silver dollars in the market.
In the 26th year of the Guangxu Emperor’s reign (AD 1900), despite the mint benefiting from the capture of Tianjin by the Eight-Nation Alliance, which led to a demand for silver coins in Nanjing untouched by the war, the departure of the British inspector Wharton forced the mint to close. It wasn’t until the following year, in AD 1901, during the Xin Chou year, that the factory resumed operations with the arrival of the newly appointed inspector H. A. Holmes, whose initials “HAH” were stamped on the coins as a mark of quality assurance.
According to records, a total of 2,377,710 Guangxu Yuanbao coins with a denomination of 7 Mace 2 Candareens were minted during the Xin Chou year. The unique “HAH” mark continued to be used in Nanjing until the 30th year of the Guangxu Emperor’s reign (AD 1904), after which other English letters were adopted as the mark.