Item number: A621

Year: AD 1796-1818

Material: Brass

Size: 24.7 x 24.7 x 1.5 mm

Weight: 4.55 g

Manufactured by: Bao Wu Bureau

Provenance:

1. Noonans 2022

2. D. L. F. Sealy Collection

This is a “Jiaqing Tongbao” coin minted during the Jiaqing period by the Bao Wu Bureau in Wuchang, Hubei Province. The coin features a typical square-holed design and is made of brass. Despite severe erosion on both the obverse and reverse surfaces, the inscriptions remain recognisable. The obverse side displays the Chinese characters “Jiaqing Tongbao” in the sequence from top, bottom, right, to left. On the reverse side, the Manchu characters “ᠪᠣᡠ ‍ᠸᡠ” (Bao Wu) are inscribed on either side, indicating the minting authority.

The Bao Wu Bureau was established in the 7th year of the Shunzhi reign (AD 1650) as one of the four minting factories set up by the Qing court in Hubei Province. The following year, it became the sole department responsible for minting coins for Hubei Province. During the Jiaqing period, the Bao Wu Bureau relied heavily on imported copper to offset the shortage of copper from Yunnan mines. In the 23rd year of the Jiaqing reign (AD 1818), the Bao Wu Bureau ceased the production of “Jiaqing Tongbao” due to insufficient copper supplies.

After Jiaqing ascended to the throne following his father Qianlong’s abdication, he faced a massive financial crisis left behind by his predecessor. To address this, Jiaqing allowed the continued use of silver by the populace while simultaneously working to improve the quality of minted coins. As a result, the quality of “Jiaqing Tongbao” coins was notably superior and more standardised compared to the coins minted during the later years of Qianlong’s reign, with the weight officially set at 1 Mace 2 Candareens.

However, Jiaqing’s financial reforms were disrupted by frequent uprisings led by secret societies such as the White Lotus and Tianli sects. These disturbances undermined his efforts, leading to widespread private minting and even official adulteration of coinage, which in turn caused rampant inflation. In response, Jiaqing issued an edict permitting provinces lacking copper resources to suspend coin production. If they were to continue minting coins, the weight had to be strictly maintained at 1 Mace 2 Candareens. Consequently, many provinces ceased production, leading to a reduction in the circulation of copper coins and a subsequent stabilisation of prices.

物件編號: A621

年代: 公元 1796-1818 年

材質: 黃銅

尺寸: 24.7 x 24.7 x 1.5 mm

重量: 4.55 g

製造地: 寶武局

來源:

1. 諾南斯 2022

2. 大衛.萊斯利.福布斯.西利舊藏

這是一枚嘉慶年間，位於湖北省武昌的寶武局鑄造之「嘉慶通寶」。錢幣形制為典型的方孔錢，材質為黃銅。錢幣正反兩面的表面皆有嚴重的磨蝕跡象，但尚能辨識其銘文內容。錢幣正面按上、下、右、左的順序，依序鐫刻漢字「嘉慶通寶」四字。錢幣背面的左右兩側，以滿文「ᠪᠣᡠ ‍ᠸᡠ」(寶武) 兩字標示鑄造單位。

寶武局成立於順治7年(公元1650年)，為清廷於湖北省設立的四座鑄幣廠之一，隔年成為專責湖北省錢幣鑄造的唯一部門。嘉慶年間，寶武局使用的銅礦多由國外進口，彌補雲南銅礦的缺口。嘉慶23年(公元1818年)，寶武局出於銅礦不足停止鑄造嘉慶通寶。

嘉慶接受父親乾隆的禪讓登基為皇帝之後，面對父親留下的龐大財務危機，嘉慶一面聽任民眾使用白銀，另一方面整頓鑄幣的品質，使得嘉慶通寶的品質較乾隆末期的錢幣來得精美和規範，重量規定為一錢二分。然而嘉慶年間，國內頻繁出現白蓮教和天理教等祕密結社的叛亂，使得嘉慶的金融整頓努力只得半途而廢，各地又出現私鑄和官方偷工減料使得物價飛漲。這些因素迫使嘉慶上諭，缺乏銅礦的省份得以自行停鑄，若要繼續鑄幣則重量需要足一錢二分。因此各省紛紛停鑄，使得市面上的銅錢數量減少，方才使物價逐漸回穩。