Item number: A610-2

Year: AD 1850-1861

Material: Brass

Size: 21.1 x 21.0 x 0.7 mm

Weight: 2.35 g

Manufactured by: Bao Nan Bureau

Provenance:

1. Noonans 2022

2. D. L. F. Sealy Collection

This is a “Xianfeng Tongbao” coin minted during the Xianfeng period by the Bao Nan Bureau located in Changsha, Hunan. The coin follows the typical square-holed design and is made of brass; however, its surface is predominantly covered with a black patina.

On the obverse, the four Chinese characters “Xianfeng Tongbao” are inscribed in the sequence of top, bottom, right, and left; however, the surrounding black patina and white grime make it difficult to discern the text at first glance. The reverse side features the Manchu script “ᠪᠣᠣ ᠨᠠᠨ” (Bao Nan) on the left and right sides, indicating that the issuing authority is the Bao Nan Bureau in Changsha, Hunan. The character “ᠨᠠᠨ” (Nan) appears rather rudimentary, resembling a distorted arrow symbol.

The Bao Nan Bureau was established in the 22nd year of the Kangxi era (AD 1683) and reached its peak production during the Qianlong period. However, output gradually declined during the Jiaqing era.

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.

物件編號: A610-2

年代: 公元 1850-1861 年

材質: 黃銅

尺寸: 21.1 x 21.0 x 0.7 mm

重量: 2.35 g

製造地: 寶南局

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，位於湖南長沙的寶南局負責鑄造的「咸豐通寶」。錢幣為典型的方孔錢形制，材質為黃銅，然而表面多為黑色包漿所覆蓋。

錢幣正面按上、下、右、左的順序，依序鐫刻漢字「咸豐通寶」四字，然而周圍為黑色包漿和白色汙垢所覆蓋，使人難以第一眼辨識出文字。錢幣背面的左右兩側鐫刻滿文「ᠪᠣᠣ ᠨᠠᠨ」(寶南)，代表負責單位為湖南長沙的寶南局，其中的「ᠨᠠᠨ」(南) 看起來十分簡陋，像是一個扭曲的箭頭符號。

寶南局最早創立於康熙22年(公元1683年)，於乾隆年間達到鼎盛，於嘉慶年間產量逐漸下降。

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。