Item number: A538

Year: AD 1875-1908

Material: Brass

Size: 18.1 x 17.9 x 0.4 mm

Weight: 1.05 g

Manufactured by: Bao Quan Bureau

Provenance:

1. Noonans 2022

2. D. L. F. Sealy Collection

This coin is suspected to be a “Guangxu Tongbao,” but its characteristics differ significantly from those of other Guangxu Tongbao coins, making it a lightweight and smaller variant. The coin was produced using traditional casting methods.

It is a square-holed coin, adhering to the traditional Chinese concept of “round heaven and square earth.” The obverse side of the coin features a square hole in the centre, with the four characters “Guangxu Tongbao” faintly visible around it. The reverse side also has a central square hole, with what appears to be the Manchu characters “Bao Quan,” indicating that it was produced by the Bao Quan Bureau. Both sides of the coin exhibit severe damage.

Despite the presence of the Bao Quan Bureau mark on the reverse side, the overall condition of the coin raises the possibility of it being counterfeit. Officially minted coins would adhere to specific standards, including a certain proportion of copper in the coin, consistent quality, and precise casting techniques. Official coins typically have clear inscriptions and uniform weight. However, the inscriptions on this coin are quite blurred, and its weight deviates significantly from standard coins, suggesting that it might be a counterfeit.

Historically, private minting has been a persistent issue in China across various periods. Archaeological evidence has shown that even during the Warring States period, some states were producing counterfeit coins of other states. Despite the unification of currency during the Qin dynasty, private minting remained unresolved.

The Qing dynasty was no exception. Not only was private minting prevalent among the populace, but even official mints sometimes engaged in malpractices. For instance, in the 30th year of the Daoguang reign (AD 1839), an imperial censor named Jueluo Longqing exposed the substandard quality of official coinage, noting that the coins were “too thin and fragile, often breaking easily, with unclear Chinese and Manchu characters.” These issues reflected the widespread counterfeiting problem.

During the Guangxu reign, private minting became even more rampant. Both the central Bao Quan and Bao Yuan Bureaus were involved in illegal practises, and privately minted coins became increasingly common nationwide. It was reported that out of every hundred small coins in circulation, seventy to eighty were privately minted. Even military pay distributed by the central government often included counterfeits.

Despite the Qing government’s efforts to combat this issue through harsh penalties and the recall of privately minted coins, they were unable to kerb the widespread circulation of counterfeit currency. Persistently high inflation, systemic governmental flaws, and the prevalence of opportunists in society all contributed to the proliferation of privately minted coins. This particular coin is likely one of the many privately minted coins that emerged under these historical conditions.

物件編號: A538

年代: 公元 1875-1908 年

材質: 黃銅

尺寸: 18.1 x 17.9 x 0.4 mm

重量: 1.05 g

製造地: 寶泉局

來源:

1. 諾南斯 2022

2. 大衛.萊斯利.福布斯.西利舊藏

這枚錢幣疑為「光緒通寶」，其特點是形制方面與其他光緒通寶有顯著的落差，可謂輕量級的小型通寶。鑄幣方法為傳統的翻鑄法。

這是一枚方孔錢錢幣，形制符合傳統天圓地方的觀念。該錢幣正面的中央有一方孔，幣面四周依稀可見「光緒通寶」四字對讀。錢幣反面的中央亦有一方孔，幣面兩側則疑似有滿文「寶泉」字樣，表示為「寶泉局」所製。錢幣正反面皆有嚴重的損傷。

儘管這枚錢幣的背面，似乎有官方造幣機構「寶泉局」的字樣，但是由於整體外觀損傷嚴重，因此不排除是偽造錢幣的可能。若按照官方正常程序鑄造錢幣，不僅銅原料有一定的比例，成色、鑄造工法等都有相當的講究。

以鑄造工法來說，官方標準版本的錢幣，基本上文字翻鑄清晰，且重量不會有太大差距。然而這枚錢幣在字體呈現上，或甚至整體版面都相當模糊，而且重量與標準版也有相當的落差，因此這枚錢幣很可能即是偽造錢幣。

事實上，中國歷史上的各個時期都解決不了偽造錢幣的問題。透過考古資料的發掘，已發現戰國時代便有某些國家盜鑄他國錢幣的證據。縱使秦代開始統一貨幣，不過私鑄的情形仍舊未得到解決。

而至清朝時期也不例外。不僅民間不乏私鑄錢幣的情事，就連官方也有偷工減料的問題。如道光30年(公元1839年)，御史覺羅隆慶曾揭露官方鑄錢，「有薄小不能如式者；有落地易碎，每斤約至數十文者；有清、漢文字樣模糊不清者」，這些事實反映私鑄錢幣的情況氾濫。

光緒年間，私鑄錢幣的情事變本加厲，中央的寶泉局和寶源局皆有私鑄弊端外，舉國上下私鑄錢幣也日益公開普及。此時民間每一百文小錢，有多至七、八十文私鑄錢；中央發配的軍餉甚至也不乏開支私鑄錢的問題。

雖然清代政府不斷以嚴刑峻法、回收私鑄錢幣等措施，設法解決這些貨幣問題，但終究無法阻止私鑄錢的廣泛流行。由於居高不下的物價、政府體制的缺失，及社會中不少投機分子等原因，都為私鑄錢幣開拓流通的空間。而這枚錢幣，很有可能是當時社會背景下，私鑄錢幣中的其中一員。