Digital museum showcasing the collection of worldwide legends over the years! 千古不朽博物館展示多年來收藏的世界傳奇故事!
Qing Dynasty,
Yongzheng Tongbao,
Bao Yong Bureau
(Bold Manchu Script & Privately Minted Version)
清 雍正通寶 寶雲局造
(粗體滿文&私鑄版)
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.