Item number: A495

Year: AD 1912-1915

Material: Copper

Size: 28.5 x 28.5 x 1.3 mm

Weight: 7.35 g

Manufactured by: Changsha Mint

Provenance:

1. Noonans 2022

2. D. L. F. Sealy Collection

This copper coin, denominated as “Ten Cash,” was issued in AD 1912, the year of the founding of the Republic of China. It was produced by the Changsha Mint, which had been renamed following the restoration of the former Silver Yuan Bureau.

The obverse of the copper coin features a toothed rim along the outer edge. Encircling the top and bottom are the English inscriptions “HU-NAN” and “TEN CASH,” respectively, separated on either side by a design of five-petal flowers. At the centre is the emblem of the Iron-Blood Eighteen Stars, with a solid centre in this version, and a beaded circle separating the central emblem from the outer English inscriptions.

The emblem of the Iron-Blood Eighteen Stars on the obverse represents the flag used by the Hubei Military Government of the Wuchang Uprising. The actual flag is composed of red, yellow, and black colours: the red background with a black nine-pointed star symbolises “blood” and “iron,” signifying the revolutionary commitment to iron and blood ideology. The black nine-pointed star represents the nine provinces recorded in the ancient text “Yu Gong”: Ji, Yan, Qing, Xu, Yang, Jing, Yu, Liang, and Yong. Within and surrounding the black nine-pointed star are two rings, each containing nine golden stars, totalling eighteen stars. These represent the eighteen provinces of the Han Chinese within the Great Wall. The golden stars symbolise the descendants of the Yan and Huang emperors, indicating opposition to the Qing dynasty.

The reverse of the copper coin features a toothed rim along the outer edge. The upper and lower edges are inscribed in standard script with the characters “中華民國”（Republic of China） and “當十”（Ten Cash）, respectively, separated on either side by a five-petal flower design. At the centre, there is a six-petal flower with the characters “Half Cent Nickel Coin” arranged in a cross pattern. This central design is encircled by a beaded border that separates the inner and outer inscriptions. The coin’s edge is smooth.

The mint could be considered a financial lifeline for the military government. Starting in AD 1918 (the 7th year of the Republic of China), Hunan began to overissue copper coins. These overissued copper coins were even transported and sold to provinces such as Hubei and Henan. By controlling the railway transportation, Hunan avoided the cost of shipping large quantities of these issued copper coins. This practise led to an oversupply of copper coins in Hunan, resulting in a decline in their purchasing power and a continuous increase in prices.

物件編號: A495

年代: 公元 1912-1915 年

材質: 銅

尺寸: 28.5 x 28.5 x 1.3 mm

重量: 7.35 g

製造地: 長沙造幣廠

來源:

1. 諾南斯 2022

2. 大衛.萊斯利.福布斯.西利舊藏

此枚銅幣為民國成立（公元1912年），恢復舊銀元局更名長沙造幣廠所發的「當十銅元」。

銅幣的正面，從最外圍為齒邊，再來上下分別環繞「HU-NAN」與「TEN CASH」的英文字樣，中間兩側由五瓣花的圖樣隔開。正中間為鐵血十八星圖案，此版本中間為實心，並用珠圈分隔最外側的英文。

正面鐵血十八星的圖案為武昌起義湖北國民軍政府宣告成立時使用的旗幟。實際旗幟由紅、黃、黑三色組成：紅底與黑九角象徵「血」與「鐵」，即革命須抱鐵血主義；黑九角代表《禹貢》中記載的冀、兗、青、徐、揚、荊、豫、梁、雍九州；黑九角內外兩圈各九顆共十八顆圓星，代表關內漢族的十八行省；星呈金黃色，表示與清朝對立之漢族炎黃子孫。

銅幣的背面最外緣一樣是齒邊，上下緣分別用標楷體環有「中華民國」與「當十」的字樣，兩側文字間用五瓣花的圖樣隔開。中央為六瓣花原點與「半毫鎳幣」的四字對讀，並以珠圈分隔內外的文字。銅幣的幣邊則為光滑樣貌。

造幣廠可謂軍政府的搖錢樹，湖南從民國7年（公元1918年）開始濫發銅元，甚至將濫發的銅元運銷的湖北、河南等省，並且因為掌握了鐵路運輸，所以更不用負擔運費大量的運送湖南發行的銅元。此舉造成湖南銅元生產過剩，銅元的購買力下降，物價不斷地上漲。