Item number: A742

Year: AD 1747-1794

Material: Brass

Size: 24.1 x 24.1 x 1.1 mm

Weight: 4.2 g

Manufactured by: Bao Je Bureau

Provenance:

1. Noonans 2022

2. D. L. F. Sealy Collection

This is a “Qianlong Tongbao” coin issued during the reign of the sixth emperor of the Qing Dynasty, Qianlong (AD 1735–AD 1796), by the Bao Je Bureau in Zhejiang Province. It has the characteristic appearance of a square-holed coin.

The outer rim, inner rim, and central square hole of the coin are well-defined. The inner rim on the obverse side is engraved with the four Chinese characters “乾隆通寶” (Qianlong Tongbao). On the reverse side, the inner rim is inscribed in Manchu script with the characters “ᠪᠣᠣ ᠵᡝ” (Bao Je).

The Bao Je Bureau was initially established in the 6th year of the Shunzhi reign (AD 1649) and managed by the Zhejiang Provincial Administration Commissioner. It was originally named the “Zhejiang Provincial Bureau,” but during the Yongzheng period, all mints were renamed with the character “Bao” to standardize the naming convention. During the Qing Dynasty, currency was issued by various regional mints, with adjustments to production, such as adding, suspending, or reducing the number of furnaces, to regulate currency circulation. Due to an insufficient copper supply in Zhejiang, operations at the Bao Je Bureau were sporadic. It was re-established in the 5th year of the Qianlong reign, though production was halted for two years in the interim. However, following the Jiaqing period, rising imperial expenditures led to the continued operation of the Bao Je Bureau, which remained active in coin production until the Guangxu period.

物件編號: A742

年代: 公元 1747-1794 年

材質: 黃銅

尺寸: 24.1 x 24.1 x 1.1 mm

重量: 4.2 g

製造地: 寶浙局

來源:

1. 諾南斯 2022

2. 大衛.萊斯利.福布斯.西利舊藏

這是清朝第六任皇帝乾隆在位期間(公元1735至1796年)，由浙江省「寶浙局」發行之「乾隆通寶」，其外觀為方孔錢。

錢幣的外廓、內廓和中央的方孔十分清晰。正面的內廓鐫刻漢字「乾隆通寶」四字。背面的內廓則鐫刻滿文「ᠪᠣᠣ ᠵᡝ」（寶浙）二字。

「寶浙局」最早設立於順治6年(公元1649年)，由浙江省布政使司管理，最初命名為「浙江省局」，後於雍正時期，統一將鑄幣廠以「寶」字命名。清代貨幣由各地分散發行，並且以增局、撤局、減爐等方式，控制貨幣流通的數量。因浙江生產的銅料不足，導致寶浙局時開時停。乾隆5年後又重新開設，中間有停鑄兩年。不過後來於嘉慶朝後，清廷開銷遽增，因此寶浙局持續鑄幣至光緒朝。