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, Hupeh Copper Coin Bureau
(Big Fireball Version)
清 光緒元寶
當十 湖北銅元局造
(大火球版)
Item number: A441
Year: AD 1900-1906
Material: Copper
Size: 27.8 x 27.8 x 1.5 mm
Weight: 7.2 g
Manufactured by: Hubei, Hupeh Copper Coin Bureau
Provenance:
1. Noonans 2022
2. D. L. F. Sealy Collection
This is a Guangxu Yuanbao Western-style copper coin with a denomination of ten cash, minted between Guangxu 26 and 32 (AD 1904-AD 1906) by the Hupeh Copper Coin Bureau.
During the late Qing Dynasty, Hubei Province had three mints engaged in the production of copper coins, and the output from just the Copper Coin Bureau alone ranked highest nationwide.
The obverse of the coin features a five-clawed dragon leaping out of the water and spitting fire. The water dragon motif serves as the distinguishing emblem of the Copper Coin Bureau, setting it apart from other mints that depict coiled dragons. According to the size difference, the fireball can further be categorised into “small fireball / big fireball” versions, with this item being the latter.
The periphery of the coin on both sides features a four-petal flower as a divider. The upper edge is inscribed with “HU-PEH PROVINCE” in Wade-Giles romanisation, and the lower edge displays the denomination “TEN CASH.”
On the reverse of the coin, there is a beaded circle enclosing the Chinese characters “Guangxu Yuanbao” and a six-petal floral design. The central six-petal floral design serves as the distinguishing mark of the Hupeh Copper Coin Bureau, differentiating it from other mints which use five-petal or eight-petal designs. The outer periphery features the Manchu script “Bao Yuan” from left to right. The lower edge is inscribed with the denomination “Ten Cash” in Chinese characters, while the upper edge bears the inscription “Made in Hubei Province.”
Since the 26th year of the Guangxu reign (AD 1900), Hubei Province, under the administration of Zhang Zhidong, issued copper coins with denominations of one cash and ten cash the following year. Hubei, being a crucial transportation hub in Central China, had an immense demand for currency. Consequently, Hubei alone had three entities responsible to produce copper coins: the Silver Coin Bureau, the Copper Coin Bureau, and the Hanyang Arsenal. These three units collectively accounted for an astonishing one-third of the total national copper coin production. The ten cash copper coins were further categorised into four types based on floral design variations: six-petal flowers, eight-petal flowers, coins, and five-petal flowers.
However, by the 32nd year of the Guangxu reign (AD 1906), the oversupply of machine-cast copper coins from various provinces led to a decline in their value. To control the economy and reclaim the minting rights from local authorities, the imperial court ordered all provinces to cease minting copper coins. Despite this directive, the significantly empowered regional governors since the time of the Eight-Nation Alliance were reluctant to relinquish the profits associated with coin minting. Consequently, the effectiveness of the imperial prohibition was limited. This situation ultimately led to a lack of market confidence in the copper coins, preventing them from effectively fulfilling their intended economic function.