Item number: A564

Year: AD 1796-1818

Material: Brass

Size: 24.0 x 24.0 x 1.2 mm

Weight: 3.8 g

Manufactured by: Bao Zhi 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 Zhi Bureau in Zhili Province. The coin follows the typical square-holed design and is made of brass. On the obverse side, the Chinese characters “Jiaqing Tongbao” are inscribed in the order of top, bottom, right, and left. There is an orange rust spot on the upper edge of the obverse side. On the reverse side, the Manchu characters “ᠪᠣᡠ ‍ᡷᡳ” (Bao Zhi) indicating the minting authority can be seen within the black patina on both sides.

In the first year of Shunzhi (AD 1644), three mints were established in Zhili Province: Miyun, Jizhou, and Xuanfu. However, due to the unstable currency policies during the early years of the Qing rule, minting was heavily influenced by market prices, supply, and demand, leading to intermittent operation. It was not until the reign of Yongzheng that the court implemented a policy of one mint per province. Zhili Province’s Bao Zhi Mint was formally designated in the 7th year of Yongzheng (AD 1729), although the mint had yet to commence operations at that time.

In the 12th year of Qianlong (AD 1747), the Bao Zhi Mint officially began its coin production, initially operating with six furnaces to mint Qianlong Tongbao coins. However, in the 15th year of Qianlong (AD 1750), due to a reduction in copper imports by 100,000 catties, the number of furnaces was reduced. Although production resumed in the 30th year of the Qianlong reign (AD 1765) due to an increase in copper supply, operations were halted again in the 59th year of Qianlong (AD 1794) as the low value of copper coins rendered production unprofitable. After Emperor Jiaqing ascended the throne, the Bao Zhi Bureau resumed its activities, continuing until the 25th year of the Guangxu reign (AD 1899) when it officially ceased minting operations. However, during the Tongzhi and Guangxu periods, the scarcity of copper resources often made minting unfeasible, resulting in minimal production.

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: A564

年代: 公元 1796-1818 年

材質: 黃銅

尺寸: 24.0 x 24.0 x 1.2 mm

重量: 3.8 g

製造地: 寶直局

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，由直隸省的寶直局鑄造之「嘉慶通寶」。錢幣形制為典型的方孔錢，材質為黃銅。錢幣正面按上、下、右、左的順序，依序鐫刻漢字「嘉慶通寶」四字，正面上緣有一塊橘色鏽斑。錢幣背面的左右兩側，在黑色包漿中能見到滿文「ᠪᠣᡠ ‍ᡷᡳ」(寶直) 兩字標示鑄造單位。

順治元年(公元1644年)直隸省層設置過密雲、薊州、宣府三個鑄錢局，不過由於統治初期著錢政策不穩定，仍十分受市場價格、數量與需求的影響，因此常時開時停，直到雍正年間，朝廷規定一省一鑄錢局的原則，而直隸省的寶直局最初定名於雍正7年(公元1729年)，但當時尚未設局開鑄。

乾隆12年(公元1747年)，寶直局才正式開啟鑄錢工作，原先設爐6座鑄造乾隆通寶。後因於乾隆15年(公元1750年)，因洋銅減運10萬斤，減設爐座，雖於乾隆30年(公元1765年)因銅量增加又恢復產量，不過到乾隆59年(公元1794年)因為銅錢價格低賤，因此停爐。待嘉慶登基後，寶直局又恢復運作。要到光緒25年(公元1899年)才正式卸下鑄錢任務。不過同治和光緒年間，由於銅料缺乏，甚至不敷成本而鑄造不多。

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。