Provenance:

1. Noonans 2022

2. D. L. F. Sealy Collection

This is a one hou (10 cents) silver coin minted in the thirteenth year of the Republic of China (AD 1924) by the Hangzhou Zhejiang Mint Branch. The reverse side of the coin features an image of two crossed five-colour flags tied with a ribbon.

On the obverse side, the centre is inscribed with the characters for “One hou Silver Coin.” The outer ring contains the English inscription “CHE-KIANG PROVINCE” and “TEN CENTS.” Additionally, there are two five-pointed stars adorning either side of the lower part of the outer ring. The reverse side prominently displays the crossed five-colour flags in the centre, tied with a ribbon. The outer ring is inscribed with “Thirteenth Year of the Republic of China” and “Made in Zhejiang Province,” with two five-pointed stars also adorning the lower part.

This silver coin was produced during the Republican period in response to the need to alleviate the minting capacity of Shanghai. Silk merchants from Zhejiang Province, in collaboration with their Shanghai counterparts, established the Hangzhou Mint Branch with the approval of Zhejiang provincial authorities. The mint began operations in February of the tenth year of the Republic of China (AD 1921) under central administration.

The primary objective of this mint was to produce Yuan Shikai portrait silver dollars to ease economic pressure in the Shanghai area. In the thirteenth year of the Republic of China (AD 1924), the mint also produced two hou and one hou silver subsidiary coins to facilitate small transactions, although the minting volume was limited.

這是一枚中華民國十三年(公元1924年)，由杭州浙江銀元局分廠製造的壹毫銀幣。其背面有雙面五色旗交叉並繫以結帶圖像。

這枚錢幣的正面，於中心鑄有「壹毫銀幣」的字樣，外圈有浙江省英譯「CHE-KIANG PROVINCE」，及壹毫(即一角)英譯「TEN CENTS」。於下圈兩側還飾有兩顆五角星圖案。在錢幣的背面，中心處有顯著的雙面五色旗，兩旗中間還繫以結帶。外圈有「中華民國十三年」、「浙江省造」文字，且下圈亦飾有兩顆五角星。

這枚銀幣是民國時期，為解救上海造幣的供應能力而鑄造。由浙江省的絲繭商邀集上海同業，在獲得浙省長官同意後，共同籌設杭州造幣分廠，並在民國十年(公元1921年)二月，委由中央管理。此造幣廠在開辦以來，以鑄造袁像壹圓為主，緩和上海地區的經濟壓力。於民國十三年(公元1924年)，更鑄造貳毫即壹毫銀質輔幣，以方便小額交易，不過其鑄額並不多。