Item number: A429

Year: AD 1905

Material: Copper

Size: 28.4 x 28.4 x 1.4 mm

Weight: 7.55 g

Manufactured by: Kiang-nan Mint Bureau Silver Dollar Bureau, Nanjing

Provenance:

1. Noonans 2022

2. D. L. F. Sealy Collection

This is a copper coin of ten cash, produced in the 31st year of the Guangxu reign (AD 1905) by the “Kiang-nan Mint Bureau Silver Dollar Bureau” located in Nanjing. The coin follows the Western style and is inscribed with “Guangxu Yuanbao.”

The coin’s obverse features a bead circle, with the central motif of a right-facing five-clawed flying dragon, characterised by its slender form and intricate scales, with its left front claw holding a dragon pearl. The outer edge is divided by floral decorations on both sides, with “KIANG-NAN” inscribed at the top and the denomination “TEN CASH” at the bottom.

Kiangnan Province, with Nanjing as its capital, was an old administrative region from the early Qing Dynasty. Although it was divided into Jiangsu and Anhui provinces during the Qianlong period, the term “Kiangnan” continued to be used through the late Qing and early Republican eras.

The reverse of the coin also features a bead circle, with the four Chinese characters “Guangxu Yuanbao” inscribed inside. At the centre, the Manchu script “Bao Ning” is written from left to right. The sides of the coin are engraved with the cyclical year “Yǐ Sì,” while the top edge reads “Minted in Kiangnan Province.” The bottom edge bears the inscription “Each yuan is worth ten cash.” This phrasing used in Kiangnan Province was later adopted by other provinces.

During the Yǐ Sì year, copper coins produced in Kiangnan Province featured four different combinations based on the pairing of obverse and reverse dies: “flying dragon/water dragon” and “Manchu script/flower design.” Furthermore, the flying dragon motif can be further subdivided into two versions based on the flame details on the tail: “seven flames” and “eight flames.”

In the 27th year of Guangxu (AD 1901), Jiangsu Province, with Nanjing as its capital, began minting machine-struck copper coins, following Guangdong’s example. Starting the following year, the copper coins minted in Nanjing, marked “Kiangnan Province,” featured cyclical dating, which became a distinctive characteristic.

However, by the 32nd year of Guangxu (AD 1906), the oversupply of machine-struck copper coins led to a price decline. To control the economy and reclaim the right to mint coins, the Qing court ordered the cessation of copper coin minting across all provinces. Despite this, the regional governors, whose power had significantly increased since the Boxer Rebellion, were reluctant to relinquish the profits from minting. Consequently, the court’s ban was only partially effective, leading to a loss of public trust in copper coins and rendering them less effective in achieving their intended economic function.

物件編號: A429

年代: 公元 1905 年

材料: 紅銅

尺寸: 28.4 x 28.4 x 1.4 mm

重量: 7.55 g

製造地: 江南鑄造銀元制錢總局，南京

來源:

1. 諾南斯 2022

2. 大衛.萊斯利.福布斯.西利舊藏

這是一枚光緒31年(公元1905年)，位處南京的「江南鑄造銀元制錢總局」生產的西式「光緒元寶」銅元，其面額為「十文」。

錢幣正面有一道珠圈，中央是一隻向右擺首的五爪飛龍，體態秀長和龍鱗繁雜精緻，左前爪握著一粒龍珠。外圍的左右兩側以五瓣花飾為分界，上緣鐫刻「江南」(KIANG-NAN)英文字樣，下緣則是面額「十文」(TEN CASH)。江南省是清初以南京為省會的舊行政區。即便在乾隆年間，該行政區早已被劃分為江蘇和安徽兩省，不過其意象仍持續沿用至清末民初。

錢幣背面同樣有一道珠圈，裡面有楷書「光緒元寶」四字，正中央從左至右拼讀為滿文「寶寧」兩字。錢幣兩側鐫刻出廠的干支紀年「乙巳」，上緣為地名「江南省造」，下緣則是面額「每元當制錢十文」字樣。江南省的「每元當制錢十文」字樣，後續為其他省份仿效應用。

江南省於乙巳年間出廠的銅元，按正面「飛龍/水龍」和反面「滿文/花飾」模具搭配，就有四種不同的種類組合。其中的飛龍圖騰還能按照尾巴的火焰細節，再細分為「七焰/八焰」兩種版本。

光緒27年(公元1901年) 7月，以南京為省會的江蘇效仿廣東，開始鑄造本省的機鑄銅元。隔年起，南京鑄造的「江南省」銅元都會標註出廠時間的干支紀年，成為其一大特色。而光緒32年(公元1906年)，由於各省的機鑄銅元供過於求，導致其價格下跌。朝廷為控制經濟和收回地方鑄幣權，下令各省停止鑄造銅元。然而八國聯軍以來，權力大幅提升的各地方總督不願放棄鑄幣背後的收益，因此朝廷的禁止效果有限。最後卻也造成市場對於銅元的信任不足，使其無法有效發揮原先設想的經濟作用。