This is a Guangxu Yuanbao Western-style copper coin, minted in Guangxu 29st year (AD 1903) by the Suzhou Copper Coin Bureau in Jiangsu Province, with a face value of ten cash.
The obverse of the coin features a single beaded circle, within which is a right-facing five-clawed flying dragon holding a dragon pearl in its left forepaw. The periphery is divided by five-petalled floral ornaments on each side, with the upper edge inscribed in Wade-Giles romanisation as “Kiang-Soo” (Jiangsu) and the lower edge displaying the denomination “Ten Cash.”
The reverse of the coin also features a single beaded circle, within which are the Chinese characters “Guangxu Yuanbao” inscribed in regular script, along with a Manchu characters “Bao Su.” The outer edge is inscribed with the characters “Made in Kiang-Soo Province” at the top. Additionally, the coin is marked with the cyclical year “Guǐ Mǎo,” indicating the year of manufacture. Starting from Guangxu 28th year (AD 1902), some copper coins minted in Jiangsu began to include cyclical dating. The lower edge indicates the denomination with “Each yuan is worth ten cash.”
In the 21st year of Guangxu (AD 1901), inspired by the successful implementation of Western-style copper coins in Guangdong and Fujian, Jiangsu Province initially minted copper coins through the Nanjing “Kiang-nan Mint Bureau Silver Dollar Bureau.” Subsequently, in the 30th year of Guangxu (AD 1904), the newly completed “Suzhou Copper Coin Bureau” also began minting copper coins. However, in the 26th year of Guangxu (AD 1906), due to the nationwide overproduction of copper coins leading to a decline in their value, the Ministry of Revenue started to reorganise the provincial mints.
Particularly in Jiangsu Province, where there were three factories: Kiang-nan, Suzhou, and Tsing-Kiang. According to the court’s regulations, Jiangsu’s daily production was not to exceed one million coins, but the reality was that Suzhou alone exceeded this quota. Consequently, the court promptly shut down the Suzhou Copper Coin Bureau, with its machinery and equipment being transferred to the Kiang-nan factory in Nanjing, thus ending its operations.
