Item number: A544

Year: AD 1875-1908

Material: Brass

Size: 19.4 x 19.3 x 1.1 mm

Weight: 2.1 g

Manufactured by: Bao Su Bureau

Provenance:

1. Noonans 2022

2. D. L. F. Sealy Collection

This coin is a “Guangxu Tongbao,” distinguished by its significant differences in appearance from other Guangxu Tongbao coins, including severely corroded surfaces and distorted fonts.

The obverse side of the coin features a square hole in the centre, with the four characters “Guangxu Tongbao” faintly visible around it. Both the characters “Xu”(緒) and “Tong”(通) exhibit excessive distortion. The reverse side also has a central square hole, with what appears to be the Manchu characters “Bao Su,” indicating that it was produced by the Bao Su Bureau. Both sides of the coin show severe damage, with numerous pits and uneven colouration.

Despite the presence of the Bao Su 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.

Furthermore, the coin’s obverse and reverse sides exhibit noticeable pitting and differential corrosion, showing varying degrees of corrosion. This differs significantly from standard Tongbao coins and may have been made with other materials that are more prone to corrosion.

物件編號: A544

年代: 公元 1875-1908 年

材質: 黃銅

尺寸: 19.4 x 19.3 x 1.1 mm

重量: 2.1 g

製造地: 寶蘇局

來源:

1. 諾南斯 2022

2. 大衛.萊斯利.福布斯.西利舊藏

這枚錢幣為「光緒通寶」，其特點是形貌與其他光緒通寶有明顯差異，包含腐蝕嚴重的幣面和扭曲的字體。

這枚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，其中「緒」和「通」字皆有過度扭曲的形態。錢幣反面的中央亦有一方孔，幣面兩側則疑似有滿文「寶蘇」字樣，表示為「寶蘇局」所製。錢幣正反面皆有嚴重的損傷，有不少凹洞且成色也不均勻。

儘管這枚錢幣的背面，似乎有官方造幣機構「寶蘇局」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。

此外，這枚錢幣正反兩面還有明顯的凹洞，整體形制的受損情況有差異腐蝕的特點。這與標準的通寶錢有很大的出入，很可能摻合其他容易受蝕的原料。