Item number: A456

Year: AD 1902-1906

Material: Copper

Size: 27.9 x 27.9 x 1.4 mm

Weight: 6.65 g

Manufactured by: Hunan, Changsha

Provenance:

1. Noonans 2022

2. D. L. F. Sealy Collection

This is a coin minted by the province of Hunan in the 28th year of the Guangxu reign (AD 1902), following an imperial decree permitting provinces to emulate the experiences of Guangdong and Fujian. It bears the inscription “Guangxu Yuanbao” and has a denomination of “Ten Cash.”

Due to its age, the coin’s obverse, which should have two beaded circles, has had its outermost circle worn down and rendered unrecognisable. At the centre is a five-clawed dragon exhaling a fireball. The size of the fireball further classifies the coin into two types: “big fireball” and “small fireball.” This coin belongs to the small fireball version. Given that there were three mints in Hunan province, each produced coins with slight variations in design. The outer edges feature six-petalled floral decorations on either side, with the top and bottom petals shaped like water droplets. The upper edge bears the Wade-Giles romanisation “HU-NAN,” while the lower edge displays the English denomination “TEN CASH.”

The reverse of the coin also features two beaded circles. Within these circles are the Chinese characters “Guangxu Yuanbao” and a six-petalled floral design in the centre. The outer sides of the beaded circles are divided by Manchu script “Bao Nan.” The upper edge is inscribed with “Minted by Hunan Province,” and the lower edge displays the denomination “Ten Cash.”

In the 28th year of the Guangxu reign (AD 1902), Hunan Province imported machinery from England and installed it in the provincial capital, Changsha, marking the beginning of its mechanical coinage history. According to reports left by the British Consulate in China, Changsha had three units responsible for minting Ten-cash copper coins: “The General Copper Coin Mint,” “The Branch Mint,” and “The Copper Coin Mint,” resulting in a wide variety of varieties. Subsequently, there were attempts to mint copper coins in denominations of Two, Five, and Twenty Cash.

However, in the 32nd year of Guangxu’s reign (AD 1906), the oversupply of machine-struck copper coins in various provinces led to a decrease in their prices. To control the economy and regain control over coinage rights from local authorities, the imperial court ordered all provinces to cease the minting of copper coins. The three mints in Hunan Province were all instructed to halt production, and their operations were centralised under the management of Hubei Province.

物件編號: A456

年代: 公元 1902-1906 年

材料: 紅銅

尺寸: 27.9 x 27.9 x 1.4 mm

重量: 6.65 g

製造地: 湖南, 長沙

來源:

1. 諾南斯 2022

2. 大衛.萊斯利.福布斯.西利舊藏

這是一枚光緒28年(公元1902年)，朝廷上諭允許各省仿效廣東和福建經驗後，湖南省自行鑄造之「光緒元寶」機鑄銅元，其面額為「十文」。

錢幣正面理當有兩道珠圈，惜因年代久遠，最外圍的珠圈已經不可識別。正中央是一隻口吐火球的五爪蟠龍，按照火球大小能進一步區分出「大火球/小火球」兩種版型，該物件為後者。由於湖南一省便存在三座造幣廠，每一家生產的銅元樣式有些許差異。外圍左右兩側各有一個六辦花飾，其中上下兩瓣的花瓣為水滴狀。上緣是威妥瑪拼音的「湖南」(HU-NAN)，下緣則是英文面額「十文」(TEN CASH)。

錢幣背面亦有兩道珠圈，裡面是楷書漢字「光緒元寶」及正中央的六瓣花飾。珠圈外圍的左右兩側以滿文「寶南」作為分界，上緣和下緣則分別是「湖南省造」和面額「當十」字樣。

光緒28年(公元1902年)，湖南省從英國引進機器安裝於省會長沙，開啟其機械鑄幣的歷史。根據英國駐華領事館留下的報告，長沙有「銅元總局」、「銅元分局」和「銅元局」三個單位負責鑄造十文銅元，因此其版別十分繁多。後續尚有嘗試鑄造「二文、五文和二十文」三種面額的銅元。

不過在光緒32年(公元1906年)，由於各省的機鑄銅元供過於求，導致其價格下跌。朝廷為控制經濟和收回地方鑄幣權，下令各省停止鑄造銅元。湖南省三座造幣廠皆被勒令停工，其業務交由湖北省統籌處理。