Item number: A581

Year: AD 1893-1897

Material: Brass

Size: 22.7 x 22.4 x 1.1 mm

Weight: 3.5 g

Manufactured by: Bao Chuan Bureau

Provenance:

1. Noonans 2022

2. D. L. F. Sealy Collection

This coin was minted by the Bao Chuan Bureau in Sichuan 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, featuring a square hole at its centre on the obverse side, surrounded by the four characters “Guangxu Tongbao.” The lower right area of the outer rim displays noticeable stains. On the reverse side, the coin also has a square hole at its centre, with Manchu script on both sides reading “Bao Chuan,” indicating that it was minted by the Bao Chuan Bureau in Sichuan. The coin exhibits multiple scratches on both its obverse and reverse sides.

The Bao Chuan Bureau was established in the 10th year of the Yongzheng reign (AD 1732) and was a major minting institution in the southwestern region of the Qing Dynasty. In the 13th year of Guangxu (AD 1887), the imperial court encouraged the provinces to mint “one-mace” weight Tongbao coins.

Initially, due to shortages of copper and lead, the Bao Chuan Bureau was difficult to adhere to the court’s directives. As a result, under the court’s decree and practical considerations, the Bao Chuan Bureau predominantly produced Tongbao coins weighing between 0.8 mace and 1.2 mace.

This Guangxu Tongbao coin weighs approximately 1 mace, consistent with the actual weight of coins minted by the Bao Chuan Bureau. According to relevant historical records, the Bao Chuan Bureau officially began minting Tongbao coins with a weight of “one mace” around the 19th year of the Guangxu reign (AD 1893), continuing until approximately the 23rd year of Guangxu (AD 1897).

After the 24th year of Guangxu (AD 1898), the Bureau shifted to minting coins with a weight of 0.8 mace. Concurrently, the introduction of modern minting machinery led to a gradual decline in traditional coin production at the Baochuan Bureau.

This particular coin is likely to have been minted between AD 1893 and AD 1897. Due to factors such as the shortage of raw materials and the introduction of modern machinery, the Bao Chuan Bureau gradually fell into decline and eventually ceased its minting operations in the 30th year of Guangxu (AD 1904).

物件編號: A581

年代: 公元 1893-1897 年

材質: 黃銅

尺寸: 22.7 x 22.4 x 1.1 mm

重量: 3.5 g

製造地: 寶川局

來源:

1. 諾南斯 2022

2. 大衛.萊斯利.福布斯.西利舊藏

這枚錢幣為四川省寶川局造的「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，幣面四周有「光緒通寶」四字。外圈右下方有明顯的污痕。錢幣反面的中央亦有一方孔，幣面兩側有滿文「寶川」字樣，表示為四川「寶川局」所製。錢幣正反面皆有不少刮痕。

寶川局設立於雍正10年(公元1732年)，是清代西南地區的鑄幣大局。光緒13年(公元1887年)，朝廷向各省鼓勵鑄造重量「一錢」的通寶制錢。起初由於銅料、鉛料缺乏，寶川局難以遵照朝廷命令，故在朝廷旨意和實際運作的調節下，寶川局多鑄造重量八分至一錢二分間的通寶制錢。

這枚光緒通寶，重量約為一錢上下，符合寶川局實際鑄造的通寶制錢重量。據相關資料考證，寶川局正式鑄造重量「一錢」的通寶制錢，約在光緒19年(公元1893年)，至光緒23年(公元1897年)間。光緒24年後(公元1898年)，寶川局又改鑄八分制錢，同時因新式鑄錢機器引進，寶川局傳統鑄錢的數量也逐步減少。

這枚硬幣應當造於公元1893年至1897年之間，而寶川局也因原料缺乏、現代機器引入等因素逐漸荒廢，最終於光緒30年(公元1904年)卸下鑄錢任務。