Item number: A220

Year: AD 1901-1908

Material: Bronze

Size: 20.5 x 20.5 x 1.0 mm

Weight: 2.66 g

Manufactured by: Wuchang Prefecture Bureau, Hubei

Provenance: Teutoburger Münzauktion GmbH 2022

This is a square-holed bronze coin from the Xuantong period of the Qing Dynasty (AD 1909 to AD 1911), minted by the Canton mint using machinery. During the Guangxu period, the provinces began to widely adopt the mechanised minting of Western-style silver and copper coins, leading to a gradual decline in the circulation of square-holed coins. Consequently, the minting techniques for these coins evolved from traditional sand casting to mechanised minting.

The coin features the design of a square-holed coin, with a smooth, round hole punched in the centre using machinery. Traditionally, the square hole had practical purposes, such as threading coins together for ease of carrying and accounting. However, in the era of mechanised minting, the hole retained only cultural significance. The additional step of punching the hole even increased the production cost.

On the obverse of the coin, the characters “Xuantong Tongbao” are inscribed in the sequence “top, bottom, right, left.” The reverse features the characters “Bao Guang” on either side of the central square, indicating that it was minted by the Canton mint.

物件編號: A220

年代: 公元 1901-1908 年

材料: 青銅

尺寸: 20.5 x 20.5 x 1.0 mm

重量: 2.66 g

製造地: 武昌府局，湖北

來源: 條頓堡錢幣拍賣 2022

這是一枚光緒年間，湖北省以機器鑄造的「光緒通寶」銅錢。外觀為中國傳統的方孔錢型制，正面按照上、下、右、左順序鐫刻「光緒通寶」四字。錢幣背面按左至右順序，以滿文鐫刻「寶武」即鑄造單位「武昌府局」簡稱。

光緒12年(公元1886年)，福建省率先以機械鑄造方孔錢外觀的「光緒通寶」，後續各省紛紛仿效生產，湖北省由「武昌府局」專司鑄造。銅幣以機器沖壓成型後，中間的方孔需要增加一道打撞鑽孔工序，不僅費時更提升生產成本。為此各省銅幣紛紛採納西式外觀，傳統方孔錢型制就此走入歷史。