Item number: A668

Year: AD 1735-1796

Material: Brass

Size: 24.3 x 24.3 x 0.9 mm

Weight: 3.3 g

Manufactured by: Bao Su Bureau

Provenance:

1. Noonans 2022

2. D. L. F. Sealy Collection

This is a “Qianlong Tongbao” coin issued by the Bao Su Bureau in Jiangsu 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.

The outer rim, inner rim, central square hole, and inscriptions on the obverse of the coin are all heavily worn. The inner rim on the obverse is inscribed with the four Chinese characters “乾隆通寶” (Qianlong Tongbao), while the reverse is inscribed with the Manchu characters “ᠪᠣᡠ ᠰᡠ” (Bao Su), with a raised dot positioned at the bottom.

In the Qing Dynasty, most coins did not explicitly 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, however, weighs only 3.3 g. Given the significant prevalence of private minting during the Qianlong period, it is speculated that this coin may be a privately minted piece.

The “Bao Su Bureau” was established in the 7th year of the Kangxi reign (AD 1688) following an imperial edict after the creation of Jiangsu Province. It was overseen by Tong Pengnian (佟彭年), who was then serving as the Provincial Administration Commissioner of Jiangsu. However, due to a shortage of copper in the region and the fact that transporting Tián copper (滇銅copper from Yunan) took three years round trip, minting at the Bao Su Bureau was intermittent. Coin production resumed in the 8th year of the Yongzheng reign (AD 1730). During the Qianlong, Jiaqing (江蘇), and Daoguang periods, the bureau’s operations were sporadic, halting completely when Tianjing (天京) fell during the Taiping Rebellion, after which minting resumed and continued until the end of the Guangxu era.

During the Qianlong period, Jiangsu Province sought to curb illegal minting by reducing the standard weight of copper coins from 1.2 mace, as established during the Yongzheng reign, to a lighter weight. Unscrupulous merchants took advantage of this by altering government-issued copper coins, originally weighing 1.2 mace or 1.4 mace, to produce lower-quality, lighter coins. In response, the Provincial Governor of Jiangsu submitted a petition requesting that the weight of copper coins be officially reduced from 1.2 mace to 1 mace in order to suppress the circulation of privately minted coins.

物件編號: A668

年代: 公元 1735-1796 年

材質: 黃銅

尺寸: 24.3 x 24.3 x 0.9 mm

重量: 3.3 g

製造地: 寶蘇局

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)，由江蘇省所設立「寶蘇局」發行之「乾隆通寶」，其外觀為方孔錢。

錢幣正面的外廓、內廓和中央的方孔、文字皆磨損嚴重。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「ᠪᠣᡠ ᠰᡠ」（寶蘇）二字，並且於下方有一個突起的點。

在清朝，大多數銅錢沒有明確標明其面額，而是以大小和重量來區分。典型的尺寸直徑在24.2到28.0毫米之間，重量在3.8到4.2克之間。而這枚乾隆通寶卻只有3.3公克重。鑑於乾隆年間私人鑄造的顯著流行，推測這枚硬幣可能是私人鑄造的。

「寶蘇局」的建立是在康熙7年（公元1688年）奉詔建立江蘇省後，由當時任職江蘇布政史的佟彭年負責。然因該地少銅，滇銅運送往返需三年，寶蘇局造幣間間斷斷，直到雍正8年（公元1730年）恢復鑄造。後續乾隆、嘉慶、道光年間寶蘇局時開時停，直到太平天國導致天京淪陷後，才再次開啟直到光緒末年。

乾隆年間，江蘇為了杜絕私鑄，將雍正朝前重量的定制從1.2錢改為較輕的錢。民間不肖商人將政府發行1.2錢或1.4錢的銅幣，改住品質較輕的劣幣。因此江蘇的布政使奏請希望能將銅錢的重量從1.2錢改為1錢，以抑制私鑄幣的情形。