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,
Qianlong Tongbao,
Bao Giyan Bureau
(Coin Clipping)
清
乾隆通寶
寶黔局造
(剪圈錢)
Item number: A678
Year: AD 1735-1796
Material: Brass
Size: 18.3 x 18.2 x 0.8 mm
Weight: 1.65 g
Manufactured by: Bao Giyan Bureau
Provenance:
1. Noonans 2022
2. D. L. F. Sealy Collection
This is a “Qianlong Tongbao” coin issued by the Bao Giyan Bureau in Guizhou Province during the reign of the sixth emperor of the Qing dynasty, Emperor Qianlong, who ruled from AD 1735 to AD 1796. The coin is of the square-holed variety.
This coin has been deliberately damaged, leaving only the inner rim where the inscriptions are located. On the obverse, the inner rim bears the Chinese characters “Qianlong Tongbao” (乾隆通寶). On the reverse side is inscribed with the Manchu script “ᠪᠣᠣ ᡤᡳᠶᠠᠨ” (Bao Giyan).
Since the Warring States period, there has been a practice in China known as “removing copper from coins,” where individuals would profit by grinding or cutting copper from coins. During the Eastern Han dynasty, “borderless molds” were even used to produce coins without edges, leading to severe inflation and economic disorder.
In the early Qianlong period, the value of silver was low, and copper coins were highly valued, creating an incentive for the practice of edge-trimming coins. By removing copper through edge-trimming and then returning the trimmed coins to circulation, individuals could maximize their profits.