Item number: A548

Year: AD 1875-1908

Material: Brass

Size: 23.1 x 23.1 x 1.1 mm

Weight: 3.65 g

Manufactured by: Bao Quan Bureau

Provenance:

1. Noonans 2022

2. D. L. F. Sealy Collection

This coin was minted by the Central Bao Quan Bureau and is identified as a “Guangxu Tongbao.” The coin’s surface shows noticeable scratches overall, and it was produced using the traditional recasting method.

This is a square-holed coin. On the obverse, the central square hole is surrounded by the four characters “Guangxu Tongbao,” though some of the characters are damaged. There are also slight stains on the lower right and upper left of the outer rim.

On the reverse, the central square hole is flanked by the Manchu characters “Bao Quan,” indicating it was produced by the Bao Quan Bureau. The coin has visible scratches on both the obverse and reverse sides.

The Bao Quan Bureau was a minting institution during the Ming and Qing dynasties. Initially established as a local minting institution in the early Ming dynasty, it later became a central minting institution under the Ministry of Revenue during the late Ming and early Qing periods. Its status gradually surpassed that of the Bao Yuan Bureau, which was under the Ministry of Works.

During the reign of Emperor Yongzheng, several reforms were undertaken to strengthen the country’s finances, specifically targeting the Bao Quan Bureau. For example, to centralise power and reduce deficits, Yongzheng needed ample funds to support his reforms. Thus, in the fourth year of Yongzheng’s reign (AD 1726), he significantly increased the minting capacity of the Bao Quan Bureau, expanding it from one workshop to four and dispersing the furnaces to minimise fire damage.

In the period of Guangxu, influenced by modern minting techniques, China gradually began mechanised coin production to meet the substantial market demand across the country. However, as the Qing Dynasty’s central mint, the Bao Quan Bureau faced challenges in implementing large-scale standardised coin production, coupled with significant financial losses, leading to its eventual closure.

Nonetheless, due to the continued dominance of traditional coins in circulation, the Bao Quan Bureau was not immediately abolished. Instead, a phased approach was adopted to mitigate the currency demand during the transition period.

As part of the gradual process of phasing out minting factories, the government also began reclaiming overvalued large denomination coins from society. These coins were then recast into Tongbao coins and circulated alongside the new copper currency. It was not until the second year of the Xuantong reign (AD 1910) that the Bao Quan Bureau fully withdrew from its centuries-long minting responsibilities.

物件編號: A548

年代: 公元 1875-1908 年

材質: 黃銅

尺寸: 23.1 x 23.1 x 1.1 mm

重量: 3.65 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

這枚錢幣是中央寶泉局所鑄造的「光緒通寶」，整體而言幣面有明顯刮痕。鑄幣方法為傳統的翻鑄法。

這是一枚方孔錢幣。該錢幣正面的中央有一方孔，幣面四周可見「光緒通寶」四字，文字也有部分受損。外圈右下方和左上方有些許汙點。錢幣反面的中央亦有一方孔，幣面兩側則有滿文「寶泉」字樣，表示為「寶泉局」所製。錢幣正反面皆有明顯的擦痕。

寶泉局是明清兩代的鑄幣機構，明初原先為地方鑄幣機構，後來在明末清初時，成為隸屬戶部的中央造幣機構，且其地位逐步高於工部的寶源局。到了雍正年間，為強化國家的財政，又針對寶泉局進行過多次改革。例如，為了強化中央集權和減少虧空，必須有充足的資金作為改革的後盾。因此雍正4年(公元1726年)，大幅增加寶泉局的鑄造能量，從一間工坊提升為四間，並且將火爐分散，降低火災造成的損害。

光緒年間，中國受到近代造幣技術影響，逐漸展開機制鑄幣工作，以因應各地龐大的市場需求。作為清朝中央造幣機構的寶泉局，因無法推展大規模的標準化鑄錢工作，加上虧損甚多，面臨裁撤的命運。

不過，由於當時市面的通貨仍以舊式錢幣為主，故寶泉局未被立即廢除，而是採取階段性撤除的方式，以緩解過渡時期的貨幣需求。在漸進式裁廢鑄幣廠的同時，也從社會上收回虛值大錢，改鑄成通寶制錢，並與新式銅元一併使用。至宣統二年(公元1910年)，寶泉局才全身而退，卸下數百年的鑄幣任務。