Item number: A603-1

Year: AD 1850-1861

Material: Brass

Size: 21.6 x 21.6 x 0.9 mm

Weight: 2.55 g

Manufactured by: Bao Yong Bureau

Provenance:

1. Noonans 2022

2. D. L. F. Sealy Collection

This is a “Xianfeng Tongbao” coin minted during the Xianfeng era, produced by the Bao Yong Bureau located in Yunnan, with a composition of brass. The coin follows the typical square-holed format, and the obverse features the Chinese characters “Xianfeng Tongbao” inscribed in a clockwise order from top, bottom, right, and left. On the reverse, the Manchu characters “ᠪᠣᡠ ᠶᠣᠩ” (Bao Yong) are engraved on the left and right sides, indicating its place of minting in Yunnan. Compared to other coins in the collection, the inscriptions on this coin are more precise, and the overall appearance is more refined.

The Xianfeng period was one of the most chaotic times for Qing dynasty coinage, primarily due to the rapid spread of the Taiping Rebellion, which created an urgent need for military funding to suppress the uprising. In response, Emperor Xianfeng accelerated the production of currency by issuing coins with large denominations and reopening or establishing new mints that had been long inactive. As a result, the number of mints during the Xianfeng era reached 28, producing coins with denominations ranging from smaller values of four cash to as high as one thousand cash. This rapid expansion, however, also led to severe inflation within the empire.

The “Bao Yong Bureau,” located in Yunnan, was a mint established during the Shunzhi period. Yunnan was a significant source of copper ore for the Qing Dynasty, with the locally produced copper known as “Tián copper”(滇銅), serving as a crucial material for minting copper coins.

物件編號: A603-1

年代: 公元 1850-1861 年

材質: 黃銅

尺寸: 21.6 x 21.6 x 0.9 mm

重量: 2.55 g

製造地: 寶雲局

來源:

1. 諾南斯 2022

2. 大衛.萊斯利.福布斯.西利舊藏

這是一枚咸豐年間，位於雲南的「寶雲局」負責鑄造的「咸豐通寶」，材質為黃銅。錢幣形制為典型的方孔錢，正面按上、下、右、左順序，依序鐫刻漢字「咸豐通寶」四字。錢幣背面的左右兩側鐫刻滿文「ᠪᠣᡠ ᠶᠣᠩ」(寶雲)，代表其鑄造地點為雲南。這枚錢幣相較本館收藏的其他錢幣，其字跡較為工整且外型較為精美。

咸豐年間為清朝錢幣最為混亂的時期，主要原因是太平天國之亂的迅速蔓延，使得朝廷亟需軍費以平定叛亂。咸豐為加快籌錢的速度，一面鑄造大面額的錢幣，一面增設或恢復停工已久的鑄錢局，使得咸豐時期的鑄錢局達到28間，面額從較小的四文到一千文不等，卻也導致國內面臨嚴重的通貨膨脹。

「寶雲局」位於雲南，是從順治時期成立的造幣廠。雲南為清朝銅礦的重要產地，此地生產的銅礦稱「滇銅」，作為清朝鑄造銅幣的重要來源。