Item number: A1138-2

Year: AD 1850-1861

Material: Brass

Size: 20.6 x 20.6 x 0.7 mm

Weight: 1.8 g

Manufactured by: Bao Gui Bureau

Provenance:

1. Noonans 2022

2. D. L. F. Sealy Collection

This is a “Xianfeng Tongbao” coin minted during the Xianfeng era by the Bao Gui Bureau in Guilin, Guangxi. The coin follows the typical square-holed design and is made of brass.

The obverse side of the coin is inscribed with the Chinese characters “Xianfeng Tongbao” in a clockwise sequence from top to bottom, right, and left. The reverse side features Manchu script on both sides, with “ᠪᠣᠣ ᡤᡠᡳ” (Bao Gui), representing the Bao Gui Bureau in Guangxi, responsible for minting the coin. Compared to another coin in the museum’s collection, the Manchu script on this coin is significantly larger and more prominent.

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: A1138-2

年代: 公元 1850-1861 年

材質: 黃銅

尺寸: 20.6 x 20.6 x 0.7 mm

重量: 1.8 g

製造地: 寶桂局

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，位於廣西桂林的寶桂局負責鑄造的「咸豐通寶」。錢幣為典型的方孔錢形制，材質為黃銅。

錢幣正面按上、下、右、左的順序，依序鐫刻漢字「咸豐通寶」四字。錢幣背面的左右兩側鐫刻滿文「ᠪᠣᠣ ᡤᡠᡳ」(寶桂)，代表負責單位為廣西的寶桂局。這枚錢幣相較本館收藏的另一枚錢幣，其滿文字體較為碩大明顯。

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。