Item number: A1144-1

Year: AD 1820-1850

Material: Brass

Size: 20.6 x 20.7 x 0.6 mm

Weight: 1.8 g

Manufactured by: Bao Su Bureau

Provenance:

1. Noonans 2022

2. D. L. F. Sealy Collection

This is a “Daoguang Tongbao” coin minted during the Daoguang era by the Baosu Mint in Jiangsu Province. The coin is of the typical square-holed design, made of brass. Due to its age, the surface details have experienced significant wear, making them less distinct.

The obverse side is inscribed with the Chinese characters “Daoguang Tongbao” in a sequence from top, bottom, right, and left. The characters “Daoguang” at the top and bottom are relatively broad and flat, while “Tongbao” on the right and left are more narrow and elongated. The reverse side features the Manchu script “ᠪᠣᠣ ᠰᡠ” (Bao Su) on the left and right sides, indicating the mint responsible for its production. This coin weighs only 1.8 g, suggesting that it may be a privately minted version produced unofficially by local entities outside of government control.

Towards the end of the reign of Daoguang’s father, Emperor Jiaqing, the empire began to face the problem of silver outflow, which led to a continuous rise in the price of silver. This made it impossible to maintain the traditional exchange rate of 1,000 copper coins to one tael of silver. The purchasing power of copper coins declined, creating a dilemma for the government, as the more copper coins they minted, the greater the financial losses incurred. As a result, provinces in the southwest increasingly reduced the weight of their coins, forcing the imperial court to eventually resort to halting minting altogether. By the end of the Daoguang reign, only four mints—Bao Quan, Bao Yong, Bao Guang, and Bao Zhe—continued official production. In other provinces, minting was largely conducted by local officials in an unofficial capacity.

Daoguang was the seventh emperor of the Qing dynasty, known for an incident during his time as crown prince in which he personally shot and killed two assassins from the Tianli sect who had infiltrated the Forbidden City using a bird gun. Upon his accession to the throne, the most notable and historically significant event of his reign was the Opium War, which began in the 20th year of Daoguang’s reign (AD 1840) between the Qing Empire and Britain. The conflict arose over disputes regarding opium trade and free trade policies. Following the Qing defeat, the imperial court was forced to sign the Treaty of Nanking, ceding Hong Kong Island to Britain. This marked the collapse of the traditional East Asian tributary system and the beginning of European-led modernization in the region.

物件編號: A1144-1

年代: 公元 1820-1850 年

材質: 黃銅

尺寸: 20.6 x 20.7 x 0.6 mm

重量: 1.8 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

這是一枚道光年間，江蘇省的寶蘇局鑄造的「道光通寶」。錢幣形制為典型的方孔錢，材質為黃銅。由於年代久遠，錢幣表面的細節多經歷磨蝕，使得細節不甚清楚。錢幣正面按上、下、右、左的順序，依序鐫刻漢字「道光通寶」四字，年號「道光」兩字較為寬扁，「通寶」兩字則較為狹長。錢幣背面左右兩側，以滿文「ᠪᠣᠣ ᠰᡠ」(寶蘇) 兩字標示鑄造單位。這枚錢幣重量僅有1.8克，故可能為民間私下鑄造的版本。

道光的父親嘉慶在位末期，帝國開始面對白銀外流的問題，使得銀價日漲，無法再維繫一千枚的銅錢兌換一兩白銀的兌率。銅錢的購買力下降，使得政府面對鑄造越多銅錢，則賠本就增加更多的困境。因此位於西南方的省份不斷減輕錢幣的重量，使得朝廷最終只得祭出停鑄一法。道光末年能繼續鑄造的錢局僅有寶泉、寶雲、寶廣和寶浙四個局處，其餘省份則屬於地方官員私下鑄造的舉措。

道光為清朝第七位皇帝，太子時期曾親手以鳥銃擊斃兩名闖入紫禁城的天理教刺客為知名。道光繼位之後，最為知名和影響深遠的事件為清帝國和英國之間，於道光20年(公元1840年)，為了鴉片和自由貿易爭議引起的鴉片戰爭。戰敗的清廷被迫簽訂《南京條約》割讓香港島，標示著東亞傳統朝貢秩序的崩潰和歐洲主導的現代化開端。