Item number: A568

Year: AD 1853-1861

Material: Brass

Size: 37.6 x 37.5 x 2.1 mm

Weight: 15.25 g

Manufactured by: Bao Zhe Bureau

Provenance:

1. Noonans 2022

2. D. L. F. Sealy Collection

This is a “Xianfeng Chungbao” coin minted during the Xianfeng period, produced by the Bao Zhe Bureau, with a denomination of 10-cash. In the 3rd year of Xianfeng (AD 1853), the minting of large-denomination coins, including “Chungbao” and “Yuanbao,” began. During the production of Xianfeng Chungbao coins with a denomination of 10-cash, a total of 26 mints were involved in manufacturing, with materials including copper, iron, and lead.

The coin follows the typical form of square-holed currency. On the obverse, the four Chinese characters “Xianfeng Zhongbao” are inscribed in the sequence of top, bottom, right, and left. The reverse side features the denomination “當十” (10-Cash) engraved on the top and bottom, while the left and right sides bear the Manchu script “ᠪᠣᠣ ᠵᡝ” (Bao Zhe), indicating the bureau location as Hangzhou, Zhejiang.

The Xianfeng period was one of the most chaotic times for Qing dynasty coinage, primarily due to the rapid spread of the Taiping Rebellion, which created an urgent need for military funding to suppress the uprising. In response, Emperor Xianfeng accelerated the production of currency by issuing coins with large denominations and reopening or establishing new mints that had been long inactive. As a result, the number of mints during the Xianfeng era reached 28, producing coins with denominations ranging from smaller values of four cash to as high as one thousand cash. This rapid expansion, however, also led to severe inflation within the empire.

During the Qing Dynasty, currency was issued by various regional mints, and measures such as adding or closing mints and reducing the number of furnaces were used to control the circulation of currency. Due to insufficient copper production in Zhejiang, the operations of the Bao Zhe Bureau were intermittent.

物件編號: A568

年代: 公元 1853-1861 年

材質: 黃銅

尺寸: 37.6 x 37.5 x 2.1 mm

重量: 15.25 g

製造地: 寶浙局

來源:

1. 諾南斯 2022

2. 大衛.萊斯利.福布斯.西利舊藏

這是一枚咸豐年間，浙江鑄造的「咸豐重寶」，面額為十文錢。咸豐3年(公元1853年)，開始鑄造大面額的重寶和元寶。當十面額的咸豐重寶，總計有26間鑄錢局投入生產，材質則有銅、鐵和鉛三種。

錢幣形制為典型的方孔錢。錢幣正面按上、下、右、左的順序，依序鐫刻漢字「咸豐重寶」四字。錢幣背面的上下兩側鐫刻漢字面額「當十」，左右兩側是標示鑄造地點的滿文「ᠪᠣᡠ ᠵᡝ」(寶浙)。

咸豐年間為清朝錢幣最為混亂的時期，主要原因是太平天國之亂的迅速蔓延，使得朝廷亟需軍費以平定叛亂。咸豐為加快籌錢的速度，一面鑄造大面額的錢幣，一面增設或恢復停工已久的鑄錢局，使得咸豐時期的鑄錢局達到28間，面額從較小的四文到一千文不等，卻也導致國內面臨嚴重的通貨膨脹。

「寶浙局」最早設立於順治6年(公元1649年)，由浙江省布政使司管理，最初命名為「浙江省局」，後於雍正時期，統一將鑄幣廠以「寶」字命名。清代貨幣由各地分散發行，並且以增局、撤局、減爐等方式，控制貨幣流通的數量。因浙江生產的銅料不足，導致寶浙局時開時停。