Item number: A1022

Year: AD 1668-1670 / 1684 / 1696-1699

Material: Brass

Size: 26.1 x 26.1 x 0.9 mm

Weight: 4.0 g

Manufactured by: Suzhou 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 Suzhou Prefecture, Jiangsu 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 7th year of Kangxi’s reign (AD 1668), Jiangsu Province, following central orders, established the Suzhou Prefecture Bureau in the provincial capital and began producing Kangxi Tongbao coins. However, by the 9th year of Kangxi’s reign (AD 1670), minting ceased due to an oversupply of coins in the market. Production resumed in the 23rd year of Kangxi’s reign (AD 1684), but operations were halted again due to a shortage of copper. It wasn’t until the 35th to 38th years of Kangxi’s reign (AD 1696-1699) that the mint resumed operations once more.

物件編號: A1022

年代: 公元 1668-1670 / 1684 / 1696-1699 年

材質: 黃銅

尺寸: 26.1 x 26.1 x 0.9 mm

重量: 4.0 g

製造地: 蘇州府局

來源:

1. 諾南斯 2022

2. 大衛.萊斯利.福布斯.西利舊藏

此硬幣為清朝第三任皇帝康熙年間(公元1661-1722年)，於江蘇省蘇州府鑄造的流通貨幣「康熙通寶」。

錢幣形制為典型的方孔錢，材質為黃銅。錢幣正面按上、下、右、左順序，依序鐫刻漢字「康熙通寶」四字。錢幣背面的左右兩側，分別以滿文「᠋ᠰᡠ」和漢字「蘇」標示錢幣的鑄造地點。

康熙年間，隸屬中央的「寶泉局」和「寶源局」之外，各地方亦先後設立鑄錢局24處。

康熙7年(公元1668年)，江蘇省奉中央命令於省會成立蘇州府局，並且開始鑄造康熙通寶。然而於康熙9年(公元1670年)，因為市場流通的錢幣過多面臨停鑄。康熙23年(公元1684)重新開鑄，卻因為缺乏銅礦又面臨停工。直到康熙35至38年(公元1696至1699年)又再度復工。