Item number: A462

Year: AD 1902-1906

Material: Copper

Size: 28.0 x 28.0 x 1.4 mm

Weight: 7.35 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.”

The coin’s obverse features two beaded circles, with a five-clawed coiled dragon in the centre, distinct from its fire-breathing counterpart by its more ferocious and menacing facial expression. Furthermore, this version can be subdivided into two categories based on whether the mane connects directly to the body: “Separated Hair” and “Linked Hair.” This item belongs to the “Separated Hair Version,” characterised by a line separating the mane from the body.

The coin’s outer rim on both sides features floral decorations, which can be categorised into “Teardrop” and “Dot” types. This item uses dot-patterned five-petal flowers as dividers. The top edge bears the Wade-Giles romanisation “HU-NAN,” while the bottom edge indicates the denomination “TEN CASH.”

The reverse side of the coin also features two beaded borders. Inside, there are the regular script Chinese characters “Guangxu Yuanbao,” and in the centre, running from left to right, are the Manchu characters “Bao Nan.” On the outer border’s left and right sides are the denomination “Ten Cash,” while the top and bottom edges respectively bear the inscriptions “Minted by Hunan Province” and “Copper Coin” in Chinese.

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: A462

年代: 公元 1902-1906 年

材料: 紅銅

尺寸: 28.0 x 28.0 x 1.4 mm

重量: 7.35 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」。

錢幣正面有兩道珠圈，中央是一隻沒有吐火球的五爪蟠龍，相比口吐火球的五爪龍，該版本的臉部表情較為兇惡猙獰。此外，根據鬃毛和身體有無直接接壤，還能再細分為「離毛/連毛」兩種類別。該物件為鬃毛和身體之間相隔一條線的「離毛版」。

錢幣外圍的左右兩側，按照花飾差異也分為「水滴/點狀」兩種類型，該物件以點狀的五瓣花為分界線，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」，正中央按左至右是滿文「寶南」兩字。外圍的左右兩側為面額「當十」，上緣和下緣則分別是「湖南省造」和「銅元」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。