Item number: A1353

Year: AD 1907

Material: Copper

Size: 27.0 x 27.0 mm

Manufactured by: Tianjin Central Mint

Provenance: Fuchin Coin 2024

This is a copper coin mechanically minted in the 33rd year of Guangxu (AD 1907) by the Tianjin Central Mint, under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Revenue, which managed the national finances. The coin is a “Great Qing Copper Coin” with a denomination of ten cash.

The obverse of the coin features a five-clawed coiled dragon spewing a fireball, surrounded by a decorative beaded circle. Along the outer edge, the top is inscribed with the Chinese characters “光緒年造” (Guangxu Year Minted), while the bottom displays the English inscription “TAI-CHING TI-KUO COPPER COIN” (Great Qing Copper Coin) in Wade-Giles romanisation.

The reverse of the coin also features a beaded circle. Inside the circle, the Chinese characters “大清銅幣” (Great Qing Copper Coin) are engraved in the order of top, bottom, right, left. Surrounding the inner circle is another beaded border, with inscriptions in Manchu script along the top edge: “ᠸᡝᡳᠯᡝᡥᡝ ᠠᠨᡳᠶᠠᡳ ᡩᠣᠷᠣ ᡳ ᠪᠠᡩᠠᠷᠠᠩᡤᠠ” (Guangxu Year Minted). At the bottom edge, the denomination is indicated in Chinese characters as “當制錢十文” (Value Ten Cash). On the left and right sides, the issuing year is noted using the sexagenary cycle as “丁未” (Ding Wei). Compared to other provincial mints, the Tianjin Central Mint omitted the central dot often used to denote the province’s abbreviation.

In the 32nd year of the Guangxu reign (AD 1906), the Ministry of Revenue, which managed the nation’s finances, discovered that the widespread minting of “Guangxu Yuanbao” coins by various provinces had caused a devaluation crisis. To address this, the Ministry intervened and revoked the minting rights of the provinces, ultimately retaining only six branch mints. According to Ministry regulations, the moulds used by local mints were uniformly issued by the Ministry, with the province’s name engraved in the centre of the reverse side to facilitate central quality inspections.

In April of the 3rd year of the Xuantong reign (AD 1911), the government further promulgated the “Regulations on Currency System,” establishing a new system with the Great Qing silver coins as the standard and the Great Qing copper coins as subsidiary currency. However, the modernisation of the currency reform was halted by the outbreak of the Xinhai Revolution in the same year.

物件編號: A1353

年代: 公元 1907 年

材質: 銅

尺寸: 27.0 x 27.0 mm

製造地: 天津造幣總廠

來源: 福君錢幣 2024

這是一枚光緒33年(公元1907年)，掌管全國財政的戶部下轄之天津造幣總廠，發行之機械鑄造銅幣「大清銅幣」，面額為十文。

錢幣正面是一隻吐著火球的五爪蟠龍，周圍以一道珠圈作為裝飾。外圍的上緣以漢字鐫刻「光緒年造」，下方則是以威妥瑪拼音拼寫的「TAI-CHING TI-KUO COPPER COIN」(大清帝國銅幣) 英文字樣。

錢幣背面亦有一道珠圈，內部按上、下、右、左的順序，依序以漢字鐫刻「大清銅幣」四字。珠圈外圍的四周各有一道珠圈，上緣是滿文「ᠸᡝᡳᠯᡝᡥᡝ ᠠᠨᡳᠶᠠᡳ ᡩᠣᠷᠣ ᡳ ᠪᠠᡩᠠᠷᠠᠩᡤᠠ」(光緒年鑄造)，最下緣是漢字面額「當制錢十文」，左右兩側是出廠的干支紀年「丁末」。相較於其他分廠，天津造幣總廠省略正中央鐫刻省份簡稱的圓點。

光緒32年(公元1906年)，掌管全國財政的戶部發現，地方各省濫造「光緒元寶」造成貨幣貶值的危機。戶部為此介入和收回地方造幣權，最終僅保留六家分廠。按照戶部的規定，地方各廠使用的模具皆由戶部統一發放，唯有在背面正中央鐫刻省名，以便於中央考察品質。

宣統3年(公元1911年) 4月，朝廷又進一步頒布《幣制則例》，奠定以大清銀幣為本位，大清銅幣為輔幣的新制度。然而在同年辛亥革命爆發，清廷的現代化貨幣改革只能宣告停止。