Item number: A532

Year: AD 1735-1796

Material: Brass

Size: 23.3 x 23.3 x 1.2 mm

Weight: 4.3 g

Manufactured by: Bao Yuan Bureau

Provenance:

1. Noonans 2022

2. D. L. F. Sealy Collection

This is a “Qianlong Tongbao,” a square-holed coin issued by the Bao Yuan Bureau under the administration of the Ministry of Works during the reign of Yongzheng, the sixth emperor of the Qing Dynasty, from AD 1735 to AD 1796.

The coin’s outer rim, inner rim, and central square hole are well-defined. On the obverse side, the inner rim is inscribed with the four Chinese characters “Qianlong Tongbao”(乾隆通寶). However, the strokes of these characters are rigid, lacking the aesthetic grace typically associated with calligraphy. On the reverse side, the inner rim bears the Manchu inscription “ᠪᠣᠣ ᠶᡠᠸᠠᠨ” (Bao Yuan), with all strokes uniformly thick.

This copper coin shows minimal signs of wear, suggesting it may have been recast from a mother coin. There are no irregularities in its weight or dimensions. Notably, remnants of ancient sand casting can be observed, such as the grainy, uneven surface within the coin’s rim. However, the script on both the obverse and reverse sides lacks the calligraphic style typical of the Qing Dynasty; the strokes are sharp and uniform, resembling modern penmanship rather than the traditional variation in thickness found in calligraphy. Given the prevalence of private minting during the Qianlong period and these observations, it is likely that this Qianlong Tongbao is a privately minted coin.

After the Manchus entered China and established the Qing Empire, they continued the Ming Empire’s practise of managing coinage through two central agencies: the Bao Quan Bureau and the Bao Yuan Bureau. The former was under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Revenue, responsible for financial and tax matters, while the latter was overseen by the Ministry of Works, primarily responsible for construction. The highest-ranking official of the Bao Yuan Bureau was the Han Chinese Right Vice Minister of the Ministry of Works. The bureau was primarily established to cover the Ministry of Works’ construction expenses, and its actual status was lower compared to the Bao Quan Bureau. Any surplus coins produced by the Bao Yuan Bureau had to be handed over to the Ministry of Revenue, which managed the Bao Quan Bureau.

In the early Qianlong period, silver was less valuable compared to copper coins, with the exchange rate sometimes falling below 700 copper coins for one tael of silver (the Qing Dynasty established that “each thousand copper coins is equivalent to one tael of silver”). To stabilise the price of copper coins, the Qing government used the Bao Yuan Bureau to pay in copper coins for government projects, thereby increasing their availability in the market. Even though the government minted a large quantity of copper coins in an effort to stabilize prices, the circulation and supply of copper coins still fell short of market demand. This led to practises such as hoarding and private minting and trading of copper coins for profit.

Although private minting was extensive, it did not severely impact the exchange rate between silver and copper coins. Instead, it helped mitigate the trade difficulties caused by the shortage of official coins. As a result, the Qing government did not take strict action against private minting during the early years of the Qianlong reign. It was only in the later years, once the price of copper coins had stabilised, that the government began to collect privately minted coins from the market and replace them with officially minted ones.

物件編號: A532

年代: 公元 1735-1796 年

材質: 黃銅

尺寸: 23.3 x 23.3 x 1.2 mm

重量: 4.3 g

製造地: 寶源局

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雍正在位期間(公元1735至1796年)，由工部管轄的「寶源局」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，而漢字筆畫生硬，完全無書法字體書寫的美感。背面的內廓則鐫刻滿文「ᠪᠣᠣ ᠶᡠᠸᠠᠨ」（寶源）二字，所有筆畫皆粗細一致。

此枚銅錢使用痕跡極少，推測為翻鑄銅錢母錢。在重量與尺寸上並無異常，甚至在錢幣中可以見到古代翻砂鑄幣的痕跡：幣圈內沙礫般凹凸不平的表面。然而不論是正反面文字字體，皆不像清朝的書法字，筆畫有如現今的鋼筆字十分鋒利、毫無書法的粗細之美。乾隆時期私鑄幣情形嚴重，綜合上述原因推測此枚乾隆通寶為私鑄幣。

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。寶源局最高長官為工部的漢右侍郎，設立目的主要是為了支付工部的工程款，實際地位相較於寶泉局低。寶源局所著錢幣若有盈餘需交給掌管寶泉局的戶部。

乾隆前期銀賤錢貴，一兩銀錢可兌換的銅錢數量有時甚至低於700枚銅錢(清朝明定「每錢一千，值銀一兩」) ，為了平抑銅錢的價格，清政府藉由政府工程，透過寶源局支付銅錢，增加市場銅錢的數量。即使政府大量鑄造銅錢來平抑價格，但銅錢流通與數量仍不夠市場需求。在利益的驅使下，出現囤積銅錢、或者私鑄販運等情形。不過儘管私鑄規模龐大，並未嚴重影響銀錢的價比，反而彌補官錢不足造成商民貿易的困擾。因此，乾隆朝前期即便有私鑄的情形，仍未嚴加打擊，直到統治後期錢價穩定後，開始已官鑄制錢收繳市場上私人小錢。