Item number: A644

Year: AD 1747-1794

Material: Brass

Size: 19.0 x 19.0 x 0.6 mm

Weight: 1.15 g

Manufactured by: Bao Zhi Bureau

Provenance:

1. Noonans 2022

2. D. L. F. Sealy Collection

This is the “Qianlong Tongbao,” issued by the Bao Zhi under the jurisdiction of Zhili Province during the reign of the sixth emperor of the Qing Dynasty, Qianlong, from AD 1735 to AD 1796. The coin features a square hole design. During the Qing Dynasty, Zhili Province was expansive in territory and served as a crucial defensive location for the capital.

The coin’s outer rim, inner rim, and central square hole are slightly worn. The inscriptions on both sides are severely eroded, but still discernible. On the obverse, the inner rim is inscribed with the four Chinese characters “Qianlong Tongbao,” while the reverse bears the Manchu script “ᠪᠣᠣ ᡷᡳ” (Bao Zhi) within the inner rim.

Coins from the Qing Dynasty typically did not indicate their denomination explicitly, relying instead on size and weight for differentiation. Standard small coins ranged from 24.2 to 28.0 mm in diameter and weighed between 3.8 to 4.2 g. However, this particular Qianlong Tongbao measures only 19.0 mm in diameter and weighs just 2.1 g. Given the widespread practice of illegal minting during the Qianlong period, it is suspected that this coin may have been privately minted.

In the first year of Shunzhi (AD 1644), three mints were established in Zhili Province: Miyun, Jizhou, and Xuanfu. However, due to the unstable currency policies during the early years of the Qing rule, minting was heavily influenced by market prices, supply, and demand, leading to intermittent operation. It was not until the reign of Yongzheng that the court implemented a policy of one mint per province. Zhili Province’s Bao Zhi Mint was formally designated in the 7th year of Yongzheng (AD 1729), although the mint had yet to commence operations at that time.

In the 12th year of Qianlong (AD 1747), the Bao Zhi Mint officially began its coin production, initially operating with six furnaces to mint Qianlong Tongbao coins. However, in the 15th year of Qianlong (AD 1750), due to a reduction in copper imports by 100,000 catties, the number of furnaces was reduced. Although production increased again in the 30th year of Qianlong (AD 1765) as copper supplies improved, by the 59th year of Qianlong (AD 1794), operations were suspended due to the declining value of copper coins.

Nevertheless, the Bao Zhi Mint continued its minting duties until the 25th year of Guangxu (AD 1899). During the Tongzhi and Guangxu periods, coin production was limited due to copper shortages, which made production costs unsustainable.

物件編號: A644

年代: 公元 1747-1794 年

材質: 黃銅

尺寸: 19.0 x 19.0 x 0.6 mm

重量: 1.15 g

製造地: 寶直局

來源:

1. 諾南斯 2022

2. 大衛.萊斯利.福布斯.西利舊藏

這是清朝第六任皇帝乾隆在位期間(公元1735至1796年)，由直隸省轄的「寶直局」發行之「乾隆通寶」，其外觀為方孔錢。直隸省在清朝地域廣闊，作為防禦京師的重要地點。

錢幣的外廓、內廓和中央的方孔略微模糊。兩面的文字皆磨損嚴重，但仍可判斷：正面的內廓鐫刻漢字「乾隆通寶」四字，背面的內廓則鐫刻滿文「ᠪᠣᠣ ᡷᡳ」（寶直）二字。

清代的錢幣大多不會特別標示面額，僅用大小與重量作為區別，一般的小平錢大小為24.2 ~ 28.0 mm、重量為3.8 ~ 4.2 g，而此枚乾隆通寶的尺寸只有19.0 mm，重量僅為2.1 g，由於乾隆時期私鑄幣現象十分嚴重，因此推測可能為私鑄幣。

順治元年(公元1644年)直隸省層設置過密雲、薊州、宣府三個鑄錢局，不過由於統治初期著錢政策不穩定，仍十分受市場價格、數量與需求的影響，因此常時開時停，直到雍正年間，朝廷規定一省一鑄錢局的原則，而直隸省的寶直局最初定名於雍正7年(公元1729年)，但當時尚未設局開鑄。

乾隆12年(公元1747年)，寶直局才正式開啟鑄錢工作，原先設爐6座鑄造乾隆通寶。後因於乾隆15年(公元1750年)，因洋銅減運10萬斤，減設爐座，雖於乾隆30年(公元1765年)因銅量增加又恢復產量，不過倒乾隆59年(公元1794年)因為銅錢價格低賤，因此停爐。不過，寶直局要到光緒25年(公元1899年)才正式卸下鑄錢任務。不過同治和光緒年間，由於銅料缺乏，甚至不敷成本而鑄造不多。