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Qing Dynasty
Kangxi Tongbao
Datong Prefecture Bureau
清
康熙通寶
大同府局造
Item number: A1006
Year: AD 1667-1670
Material: Brass
Size: 27.0 x 27.2 x 0.8 mm
Weight: 3.7 g
Manufactured by: Datong Prefecture Bureau
Provenance:
1. Noonans 2022
2. D. L. F. Sealy Collection
This coin is a circulating currency piece from the reign of the third Qing Emperor, Kangxi (AD 1661-AD 1722), minted in Datong Prefecture, Shanxi Province. It bears the inscription “Kangxi Tongbao.”
The coin has a typical square-holed design and is made of brass. The obverse side is inscribed with the four Chinese characters “Kangxi Tongbao” in the order of top, bottom, right, and left. On the reverse side, the left and right sides are marked with the Manchu script “ᡨᠣᠩ” and the Chinese character “Tong.”
During the Kangxi period, in addition to the centrally administered mints of the “Bao Quan Bureau” and the “Bao Yuan Bureau,” 24 regional mints were established across various provinces.
In the 2nd year of Shunzhi’s reign (AD 1645), the Datong Prefecture Bureau and the Taiyuan Prefecture Bureau, located in the provincial capital, were established simultaneously. In September of the 6th year of Shunzhi (AD 1649), due to the large-scale “Wuzi Rebellion” against Qing rule in Datong, the Datong Prefecture Bureau was temporarily relocated to Yanghe Town to continue production. It wasn’t until the 13th year of Shunzhi’s reign (AD 1656) that the Datong Prefecture Bureau returned to its original site and resumed operations.
In the 6th year of Kangxi’s reign (AD 1667), the Datong Prefecture Bureau began minting Kangxi Tongbao coins in compliance with central government directives. However, production was halted just a few years later, in the 9th year of Kangxi’s reign (AD 1670), marking the end of the Datong Bureau’s operations, after which it faded into history.