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.

物件編號: A641

年代: 公元 1731-1734 年

材質: Brass

尺寸: 28.2 x 28.1 x 1.1 mm

重量: 5.8 g

製造地: 寶安局

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)，於江蘇省所設立「寶安局」發行之「雍正通寶」，其外觀為方孔錢。

錢幣的外廓、內廓和中央的方孔十分清晰。正面的內廓鐫刻漢字「雍正通寶」四字。背面的內廓則鐫刻滿文「ᠪᠣᠣ ᠠᠨ」（寶安）二字。

「寶安局」成立於雍正9年(公元1731年)，為當時安徽布政使司在江蘇省江寧府設立的鑄幣機構，僅在雍正與乾隆兩朝少量的鑄造銅錢。

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。