Item number: A749

Year: AD 1722-1735

Material: Brass

Size: 22.8 x 22.7 x 0.9 mm

Weight: 3.05 g

Manufactured by: Bao Yong Bureau

Provenance:

1. Noonans 2022

2. D. L. F. Sealy Collection

This is the “Yongzheng Tongbao,” issued by the “Bao Yong Bureau,” established in Yunnan during the reign of Emperor Yongzheng, the fifth emperor of the Qing Dynasty (AD 1722- AD 1735). The coin features a square hole design.

The outline, inner contour, and central square hole of the coin are obscured due to wear. The obverse features the inscription “雍正通寶” (Yongzheng Tongbao) within the inner contour, while the reverse, based on its style, is presumed to have Manchu characters “ᠪᠣᡠ ᠶᠣᠩ” (“Bao Yong”) within the inner contour.

The “Bao Yong Bureau,” located in Yunnan, was a mint established during the Shunzhi period. Yunnan was a significant source of copper ore for the Qing Dynasty, with the locally produced copper known as “Tián copper”(滇銅), serving as a crucial material for minting copper coins. Due to regional advantages, coins produced by the Bao Yong Bureau generally had a larger and thicker composition compared to those from other mints.

According to the official standard, the weight of copper coins should have been 1.2 qian (approximately 4.5 g). However, this particular copper coin weighs only 3.05 g. Additionally, the average size of a copper coin of this denomination ranges between 24.5 and 28.0 mm. Consequently, it is inferred that this coin may be a privately minted version rather than an official issue.

In the early Qing Dynasty, minting policies were not yet standardised, resulting in frequent changes despite the presence of basic guidelines. During Emperor Yongzheng’s reign, reforms were implemented to strengthen the nation’s fiscal stability.

These reforms standardised the minting process by setting the weight of copper coins at 1.2 qian and mandated the extraction of Tián copper(滇銅copper from Yunnan) and Qián lead(黔鉛lead from Guizhou). This policy aimed to reduce reliance on imported foreign copper and Japanese lead, thereby lowering the production costs of copper coins.

The currency reforms during the Yongzheng period enabled the Qianlong era to mint coins at a lower cost, thereby improving the exchange rate of copper coins to silver. These reforms also had a significant impact on stabilising the livelihoods of the populace, as copper coins were widely used by civilians, soldiers, and others in daily transactions and tax payments.

物件編號: A749

年代: 公元 1722-1735 年

材質: 黃銅

尺寸: 22.8 x 22.7 x 0.9 mm

重量: 3.05 g

製造地: 寶雲局

來源:

1. 諾南斯 2022

2. 大衛.萊斯利.福布斯.西利舊藏

這是清朝第五任皇帝雍正在位期間(公元1722至1735年)，由雲南地方所設立「寶雲局」發行之「雍正通寶」，其外觀為方孔錢。

錢幣的外廓、內廓和中央的方孔因磨損呈現不清。正面的內廓鐫刻漢字「雍正通寶」四字，背面的內廓從樣式推測應為滿文「ᠪᠣᡠ ᠶᠣᠩ」（寶雲）二字。

「寶雲局」位於雲南，是從順治時期成立的造幣廠。雲南為清朝銅礦的重要產地，此地生產的銅礦稱「滇銅」，作為清朝鑄造銅幣的重要來源。因地利關係，比較清代寶雲局與其他局生產的銅幣，銅料更大、更厚重。

根據當時官定銅錢的重量應為1.2錢（約等於4.5克），然而此枚銅錢僅有3.05克，再者一文銅錢的平均尺寸落在24.5-28.0 mm之間，因此推論此枚銅錢可能為民間私鑄的版本。

清朝前期由於造幣政策尚未為定制，雖有基本準則，仍多變動。雍正皇帝在位期間為強化國家的財政，亦對貨幣制度進行改革。規範了鑄幣的制度，將銅錢鑄重定為一錢二分(=1.2錢)，並下令開採滇銅、黔鉛，降低對外國進口洋銅、日本鉛的需求，並減少銅錢的生產成本。

雍正時期貨幣制度的改革，使得乾隆朝可用更低的成本鑄造錢幣，提升了銅錢兌換白銀的比例。同時也對穩定民生有重大的影響，因平民、士兵等在日常交易或者支付租稅等行為皆使用銅錢。