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 An Bureau
清 雍正通寶 寶安局造
Item number: A641
Year: AD 1731-1734
Material: 黃銅
Size: 28.2 x 28.1 x 1.1 mm
Weight: 5.8 g
Manufactured by: Bao An Bureau
Provenance:
1. Noonans 2022
2. D. L. F. Sealy Collection
This is the “Yongzheng Tongbao,” a square-holed coin issued by the Bao An Bureau in Jiangsu Province during the reign of the fifth emperor of the Qing Dynasty, the Yongzheng Emperor, who ruled from AD 1722 to AD 1735.
The outer rim, inner rim, and central square hole of the coin are well-defined. The inner rim of the obverse is engraved with the four Chinese characters “Yongzheng Tongbao.” The inner rim of the reverse is inscribed with the Manchu script “ᠪᠣᠣ ᠠᠨ” (Bao An).
The Bao An Bureau was established in the 9th year of the Yongzheng reign (AD 1731) as a minting institution by the Anhui Provincial Administration Commission in Jiangning Prefecture, Jiangsu Province. It minted copper coins only during the Yongzheng and Qianlong reigns, and in limited quantities.
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 mace 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.