Item number: A598

Year: AD 1796-1820

Material: Brass

Size: 20.4 x 20.4 x 0.7 mm

Weight: 1.85 g

Manufactured by: Bao Chuan Bureau

Provenance:

1. Noonans 2022

2. D. L. F. Sealy Collection

This is a “Jiaqing Tongbao” coin minted during the Jiaqing period by the Bao Chuan Bureau in Chengdu, Sichuan Province. The coin has the typical square-holed design and is made of brass. On the obverse side, the Chinese characters “Jiaqing Tongbao” are engraved in the sequence of top, bottom, right, and left. The reverse side features the mintmark “ᠪᠣᡠ ᠴᡠᠨ” (Bao Chuan) in Manchu script on the left and right sides, indicating the minting authority. However, due to its age, the left side’s “ᠪᠣᡠ” (Bao) has been worn down and is barely visible. Compared to another piece in the museum’s collection, this coin is in worse preservation condition and its font is rougher. Additionally, this coin weighs only 1.85 g, suggesting that it was likely minted privately by civilians.

In the 7th year of the Kangxi reign (AD 1668), the Bao Chuan Bureau officially commenced coin minting operations. Sichuan and the neighbouring Yunnan province were rich in copper resources, and stable mining operations continued after the Yongzheng period, making the Bao Chuan Bureau an important minting authority during the Qing Dynasty. It wasn’t until the 30th year of the Guangxu reign (AD 1904) that the Bao Chuan Bureau’s operations were discontinued and merged into the Machinery Bureau.

After Jiaqing ascended to the throne following his father Qianlong’s abdication, he faced a massive financial crisis left behind by his predecessor. To address this, Jiaqing allowed the continued use of silver by the populace while simultaneously working to improve the quality of minted coins. As a result, the quality of “Jiaqing Tongbao” coins was notably superior and more standardised compared to the coins minted during the later years of Qianlong’s reign, with the weight officially set at 1 Mace 2 Candareens.

However, Jiaqing’s financial reforms were disrupted by frequent uprisings led by secret societies such as the White Lotus and Tianli sects. These disturbances undermined his efforts, leading to widespread private minting and even official adulteration of coinage, which in turn caused rampant inflation. In response, Jiaqing issued an edict permitting provinces lacking copper resources to suspend coin production. If they were to continue minting coins, the weight had to be strictly maintained at 1 Mace 2 Candareens. Consequently, many provinces ceased production, leading to a reduction in the circulation of copper coins and a subsequent stabilisation of prices.

物件編號: A598

年代: 公元 1796-1820 年

材質: 黃銅

尺寸: 20.4 x 20.4 x 0.7 mm

重量: 1.85 g

製造地: 寶川局

來源:

1. 諾南斯 2022

2. 大衛.萊斯利.福布斯.西利舊藏

這是一枚嘉慶年間，位於四川省成都的寶川局鑄造之「嘉慶通寶」。錢幣形制為典型的方孔錢，材質為黃銅。錢幣正面按上、下、右、左的順序，依序鐫刻漢字「嘉慶通寶」四字。錢幣背面的左右兩側，以滿文「ᠪᠣᡠ ᠴᡠᠨ」(寶川) 兩字標示鑄造單位，其中左側的「ᠪᠣᡠ」(寶)因年代久遠遭到磨平。這枚錢幣跟本館另一枚收藏相比，其品項保存狀況較為糟糕，字體較為粗獷。另外這枚錢幣重量僅有1.85克，故推測為民間私下鑄造。

康熙7年(公元1668年)，寶川局正式投入錢幣的鑄造。四川和鄰近的雲南富含豐富的銅礦，於雍正以後穩定的開採，使得寶川局成為清代鑄幣的重要單位。直到光緒30年(公元1904年)，寶川局的業務遭到裁撤併入機器局為止。

嘉慶接受父親乾隆的禪讓登基為皇帝之後，面對父親留下的龐大財務危機，嘉慶一面聽任民眾使用白銀，另一方面整頓鑄幣的品質，使得嘉慶通寶的品質較乾隆末期的錢幣來得精美和規範，重量規定為一錢二分。然而嘉慶年間，國內頻繁出現白蓮教和天理教等祕密結社的叛亂，使得嘉慶的金融整頓努力只得半途而廢，各地又出現私鑄和官方偷工減料使得物價飛漲。這些因素迫使嘉慶上諭，缺乏銅礦的省份得以自行停鑄，若要繼續鑄幣則重量需要足一錢二分。因此各省紛紛停鑄，使得市面上的銅錢數量減少，方才使物價逐漸回穩。