Item number: A1069-3

Year: AD 1661-1662 / 1667-1670

Material: Brass

Size: 26.3 x 26.3 x 0.7 mm

Weight: 3.2 g

Manufactured by: Shanxi Province Bureau

Provenance:

1. Noonans 2022

2. D. L. F. Sealy Collection

This coin was a circulating currency known as “Kangxi Tongbao,” minted during the reign of the third emperor of the Qing Dynasty, Kangxi, spanning from AD 1661 to AD 1722. It was produced at the coin mint in Taiyuan, the capital of Shanxi Province.

The coin is circular with a square hole in the center, primarily made of brass. The outer part of the coin forms two concentric circles, with the outer circle in a brass color, smooth and without any patterns. The inner circle on the obverse side, surrounding the square hole, features the inscription “Kangxi Tongbao” in regular script at the top, bottom, right, and left in sequence. The reverse side of the coin is centred around a square hole, with the Manchu script “ᠶᡠᠠᠨ” engraved on the left and the corresponding Chinese character “Yuan” on the right, indicating the minting location.

The distinctive feature of this coin lies in its outer edge, which has been cut into a shape resembling a rectangle. This alteration suggests that the coin may have been used for decorative purposes or that the trimmed brass was repurposed for other uses by the public.

During the Kangxi era, in addition to the central mints “Bao Quan Bureau” and “Bao Yuan Bureau,” a total of 24 regional mints were established. In Shanxi Province, there were two distinct minting units: the “Datong Prefecture Bureau,” which provided military pay for the front-line troops guarding the Great Wall during the Ming Dynasty, and the “Shanxi Province Bureau,” located in the provincial capital, Taiyuan.

In the 18th year of the Shunzhi reign (AD 1661), after Kangxi ascended the throne, various regional mints, including the Shanxi Province Bureau, received samples and began minting Kangxi Tongbao coins. However, in the following year, the 1st year of the Kangxi reign (AD 1662), a new policy retained only the Jiangning Bureau in Nanjing at the local level, temporarily closing all other regional mints. It was not until the 6th year of Kangxi (AD 1667) that the Shanxi Province Bureau was granted approval by the Ministry of Revenue to resume operations. Nonetheless, in the 9th year of Kangxi (AD 1670), it received another order to cease operations, and no further Kangxi Tongbao coins were minted thereafter. In the first year of Yongzheng’s reign (AD 1723), the imperial court abolished the administrative structure of Datong Prefecture Bureau, making the Shanxi Province Bureau the sole minting bureau in the entire province.

物件編號: A1069-3

年代: 公元 1661-1662 / 1667-1670 年

材料: 黃銅

尺寸: 26.3 x 26.3 x 0.7 mm

重量: 3.2 g

製造地: 山西省局

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)，於山西省會太原府的鑄錢局鑄造之流通貨幣「康熙通寶」。

錢幣呈圓形，中間有一方孔，主要材質為黃銅。錢幣外觀為一雙同心圓，外圓呈黃銅色，光滑無圖案；內圓鐫字部分呈黑褐色。正面的內圓以方孔為中心，於上、下、右、左處以楷書依序鐫刻「康熙通寶」四字。背面亦以方孔為中心，於其左右兩側，分別以滿文「ᠶᡠᠠᠨ」和漢文「原」鐫刻鑄造地。

這枚錢幣的特別之處在於，其外廓被裁切為近似矩形的外表，可能是民間用於裝飾或將裁切下來的黃銅用作其他用途。

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。在山西省一地，分別有過去明朝期間，提供戍守長城前線軍餉的「大同府鑄錢局」，以及地處省會太原的「山西省鑄錢局」兩個單位。

康熙於順治18年(公元1661年)登基後，山西省局在內的各地方鑄錢局收到樣本，開爐鑄造康熙通寶。然而隔年的康熙元年(公元1662年)，新政策僅在地方上保留位處南京的江寧局，其餘各地的鑄錢局皆暫時關閉。直到康熙6年(公元1667年)，山西省局經中央的戶部批准重新開工。不過在康熙9年(公元1670年)，再度收到停工的命令，後續不再鑄造康熙通寶。雍正元年(公元1723年)，朝廷裁撤大同府的編制，就此山西省局成為全省唯一的鑄錢局。