Item number: A332

Year: AD 1949

Material: Brass

Size: 34.1 x 34.1 mm

Manufactured by: Guizhou, Qingshan Mining and Pharmaceutical Factory

Provenance: Fuchin Coin 2024

This is a brass “Half Cent” coin minted in June of the 38th year of the Republic of China (AD 1949), commissioned by the Nationalist government of Guizhou during the concluding phase of the Chinese Civil War. This coin, produced by a private company, holds the distinction of being both the first copper coin in Guizhou’s history and the last copper coin circulated in China.

The obverse of the coin features a beaded circle with the characters “Copper Coin” written in regular script at the centre. The outer edges are divided by flat, four-petal floral ornaments on the left and right sides. The upper edge bears the inscription “Minted in Guizhou Province” in clerical script, while the lower edge indicates the denomination “Worth Half Cent of Silver Dollar.” Unfortunately, due to the passage of time, the lower edge’s inscription has become significantly worn and is now difficult to discern.

The reverse of the coin also features a beaded circle, with the character “Qian,” the abbreviation for Guizhou Province, inscribed in seal script at the centre. The lower edge of the outer ring displays a pair of intertwined ears of grain, symbolising prosperity. The upper edge is inscribed in regular script with the minting year “38th Year of the Republic of China.”

This copper coin’s issuance is closely tied to the economic disaster of the Gold Yuan during the final stages of the Chinese Civil War and the collapse of the Nationalist Government. As the Gold Yuan had become worthless in the eyes of the public, the Guizhou Provincial Government decided to establish a new financial system based on silver dollars to stabilise the local economy. To provide small denomination currency for exchanging silver dollars and for minor transactions, the provincial government, on June 9, AD 1949 (38th year of the Republic of China), commissioned the private enterprise “Qingshan Mining and Pharmaceutical Factory” to mint one million half-cent copper coins. This rare instance of “public-private co-minting” in Chinese history reflects the desperate economic conditions of the time.

Qingshan Mining and Pharmaceutical Factory utilised abandoned brass shell casings from the Nationalist Army to mint approximately 210,000 half-cent copper coins, with every 200 coins being exchangeable for one silver dollar. Initially, these copper coins were well received by the market; however, their low face value and the requirement to be used in conjunction with silver dollars gradually revealed their impracticality. Additionally, in December of the same year, the People’s Liberation Army formally took control of Guizhou, leading to the collapse of the Nationalist Government’s influence in the region. Consequently, this coin became a fleeting moment in history.

物件編號: A332

年代: 公元 1949 年

材料: 黃銅

尺寸: 34.1 x 34.1 mm

製造地: 貴州, 青山礦業藥品工廠

來源: 福君錢幣 2024

這是一枚民國38年(公元1949年) 6月，國共內戰將結束之際，搖搖欲墜的國民政府控制的貴州省委託民間公司，以黃銅為原料鑄造的「半分」銅元。這枚銅元不僅是貴州歷史上第一款銅元，更是在中國流通的最後一種銅元。

錢幣正面有一道珠圈，正中央是楷書撰寫的「銅元」兩字。外圍的左右兩側各以扁平的四瓣花飾為分界，分別以隸書在上緣和下緣標示「貴州省造」和「當銀元半分」字樣。下緣標示面額的銘文，惜因年代久遠，多已磨蝕和不甚清晰。

錢幣背面亦有一道珠圈，正中央是篆書字體的「黔」，即貴州省的簡稱。外圍下緣是一對打結的嘉禾，上緣則是楷書字體的鑄造年份「中華民國三十八年」。

這枚銅元的發行背景和國共內戰末期，國民政府崩潰的金圓券經濟災難有關。由於金圓券在民眾眼中已成為廢紙，貴州省政府決定另立以銀元為主的金融系統以穩定地方經濟。為提供兌換銀元和小額支出所需的輔幣，省政府於民國38年(公元1949年) 6月9日，招攬民間企業「青山礦業藥品工廠」鑄造半分銅元100萬枚，成為中國歷史罕見的「公私合鑄」貨幣。

青山礦業藥品工廠以國軍廢棄的黃銅砲彈殼，總計鑄造約21萬枚的半分銅元，每200枚能兌換銀元一元。銅元剛開始流通的時候受到市場的歡迎，然而由於面值過低和必須和銀元掛勾使用，逐漸展露其不便性。加之當年12月，解放軍正式進駐貴州，國民政府在當地的勢力垮台，這枚硬幣也就成為曇花一現的歷史。