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,
10 Cash,Anhwai Province
(Brass Version)
清 光緒元寶
十文安徽省造
(黃銅版)
Item number: A466
Year: AD 1904
Material: Brass
Size: 28.0 x 28.0 x 1.6 mm
Weight: 7.7 g
Manufactured by: Anqing, Anhwai Copper Coin Bureau
Provenance:
1. Noonans 2022
2. D. L. F. Sealy Collection
This is a Guangxu Yuanbao copper coin minted in Guangxu 30th year (AD 1904) upon the proposal of Cheng Xun, the then Governor of Anhwai, who petitioned the imperial court. He highlighted that the raw materials for minting copper coins, specifically copper, were mostly imported and their prices were steadily rising. Consequently, the Anhwai Copper Coin Bureau was the first to experiment with minting Guangxu Yuanbao coins using brass from their reserves. However, the Ministry of Revenue responded in May of the following year, rejecting the proposal on the grounds that circulating coins made from two different materials might cause confusion among the populace. This coin is one of the Guangxu Yuanbao minted using brass.
The obverse of the coin features a bead circle enclosing a five-clawed coiled dragon. The upper edge of the outer circle bears the inscription “AN-HWAI” in the Wade-Giles romanisation system. Initially, the first batch of copper coins minted by the Anhwai Copper Coin Bureau featured a flying dragon motif. However, production was temporarily halted due to mechanical issues, and when it resumed, a new design with a five-clawed coiled dragon was adopted.
The reverse of the coin also features a bead circle, within which are the four Chinese characters “Guangxu Yuanbao” in regular script and a six-petal floral ornament at the centre. The outer circle is divided by the Manchu script “Bao An” on the left and right sides. The upper edge is inscribed with “Minted by Anhwai Province,” while the lower edge indicates the denomination “Equivalent to Ten Cash.”
On April 10, Guangxu 28th year (AD 1902), the Anhwai Provincial Governor Nie Jiyun received imperial approval to reorganise the old machinery of the silver coin mint in Anqing and to borrow equipment from Guangdong, officially establishing the “Anhwai Copper Coin Bureau.” In October Guangxu 31th yaer (AD 1905), the bureau was restructured and renamed the “Anhwai Branch of the Ministry of Revenue Mint.”
In Guangxu 32nd year (AD 1906), the imperial court decided to merge the Anhwai Mint with the Jiangning Mint in Nanjing. However, during the summer and autumn of the same year, severe flooding in northern Anhwai necessitated urgent funding, allowing the mint to continue operations until April of the following year. Subsequently, the machinery and equipment were gradually transferred to Nanjing, and full operations ceased in Xuantong 2nd year (AD 1910).