Item number: A1122

Year: AD 1850-1861

Material: Brass

Size: 23.4 x 23.0 x 0.9 mm

Weight: 2.6 g

Provenance:

1. Noonans 2022

2. D. L. F. Sealy Collection

This is a “Xianfeng Tongbao” coin minted during the Xianfeng era. It follows the typical square-holed design and is made of brass. On the obverse, the four Chinese characters “Xianfeng Tongbao” are inscribed in the sequence of top, bottom, right, and left. Due to its age, much of the coin’s surface has worn down, with only the character “咸” at the top edge remaining relatively clear, while the details of the other three characters have become indistinct due to wear. The reverse side, which should feature the Manchu inscription indicating the mint, is so heavily worn that it is difficult to decipher.

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: A1122

年代: 公元 1850-1861 年

材質: 黃銅

尺寸: 23.4 x 23.0 x 0.9 mm

重量: 2.6 g

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。由於年代久遠，錢幣表面多有磨蝕，僅有上緣的「咸」字較為清晰，其餘三個字細節已有磨損不甚清晰。錢幣背面的左右兩側，理當是標示鑄造單位的滿文，然而嚴重的磨蝕使人難以辨別。

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。