Item number: A703

Year: AD 1735-1796

Material: Brass

Size: 27.1 x 27.1 x 1.6 mm

Weight: 7.5 g

Manufactured by: Bao Quan Bureau

Provenance:

1. Noonans 2022

D. L. F. Sealy Collection

This is a “Qianlong Tongbao,” a coin with a square hole, issued by the Bao Quan Bureau under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Revenue during the reign of the sixth emperor of the Qing Dynasty, Qianlong, from AD 1735 to AD 1796.

The coin’s outer rim, inner rim, and central square hole are well-defined. The inner rim on the obverse side is engraved with four Chinese characters, “Qianlong Tongbao,” while the inner rim on the reverse side is inscribed with the Manchu script “ᠪᠣᠣ ᠴᡳᠣᠸᠠᠨ” (Bao Quan).

In the Qing Dynasty, most coins did not specifically indicate their denominations but were distinguished by size and weight. The typical cash had a diameter ranging from 24.2 to 28.0 mm and weighed between 3.8 and 4.2 g. This Qianlong Tongbao coin has a diameter of 27.1 mm and a weight of 7.5 g, classifying it as a two cash coin.

After the Manchus entered China and established the Qing Empire, they continued the Ming Empire’s practice of minting currency through two central agencies: the Bao Quan Bureau and the Bao Yuan Bureau. The Bao Quan Bureau was under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Revenue, responsible for fiscal matters, while the Bao Yuan Bureau was overseen by the Ministry of Works, responsible for construction. The highest-ranking official of the Bao Quan Bureau was the Han Chinese Right Vice Minister of the Ministry of Revenue. Initially established to distribute military salaries, the Bao Quan Bureau later became the most important central minting institution of the Qing Dynasty.

In the early Qing Dynasty, silver was more valuable than copper coins. However, as the usage and circulation of copper coins increased, the situation reversed, with copper coins becoming more valuable than silver. The two minting bureaus in the capital, Bao Quan Bureau and Bao Yuan Bureau, frequently operated at a loss in producing copper coins. Despite the Yongzheng Emperor’s efforts to minimize losses, the minting scale was not reduced to lower costs. In the 4th year of Qianlong’s reign (AD 1739), a system was established to improve the transportation of copper from Yunnan to the two capital bureaus. By the 7th year of Qianlong’s reign (AD 1742), the minting scale of these two bureaus had rapidly expanded by 1.5 times.

物件編號: A703

年代: 公元 1735-1796 年

材質: 黃銅

尺寸: 27.1 x 27.1 x 1.6 mm

重量: 7.5 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

這是清朝第六任皇帝乾隆在位期間(公元1735至1796年)，由戶部管轄的「寶泉局」發行之「乾隆通寶」，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「乾隆通寶」四字，背面的內廓則鐫刻滿文「ᠪᠣᠣ ᠴᡳᠣᠸᠠᠨ」（寶泉）二字。

清代的錢幣大多不會特別標示面額，僅用大小與重量作為區別，一般的小平錢大小為24.2 ~ 28.0 mm、重量為3.8 ~ 4.2 g，而此枚乾隆通寶的尺寸為27.1mm，重量重達7.5 g，因此為折二錢，又等於二文錢。

滿州人入關建立清帝國後，沿襲明帝國於中央層級負責鑄造貨幣的「寶泉局」和「寶源局」兩個部門，前者是負責財政稅收的戶部，後者則是主責建設的工部管轄。寶泉局最高長官為漢右侍郎，最初設立目的是為了頒發兵餉，後成為清朝最重要的中央鑄錢單位。

清朝經濟初期銀貴錢賤，然而隨著銅錢使用量與行量增加與擴大，轉變為錢貴銀賤。京師兩局：寶泉局與寶源局鑄造的銅錢時常虧本，即便雍正時期致力所小損耗，但並未為了降低損耗，而減小造幣規模。在乾隆4年（公元1739年）完善滇銅運送至京師兩局的制度，在乾隆7年（公元1742年）京師兩局的鑄造規模迅速擴大1.5倍。