Item number: A618

Year: AD 1796-1820

Material: Copper

Size: 20.9 x 20.7 x 0.7 mm

Weight: 2.0 g

Manufactured by: Bao Yuan 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 Yuan Bureau, which was under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Works responsible for engineering projects in the capital. The coin follows the typical format of a square-holed coin and is made of copper, with noticeable notches and wear around the edges. On the obverse side, the four Chinese characters “Jiaqing Tongbao” are inscribed in sequence from top, bottom, right, to left. On the reverse side of the coin, the sides are marked with the Manchu characters “ᠪᠣᠣ ᠶᡠᠸᠠᠨ” (Bao Yuan), indicating the minting unit, though the inscription shows significant wear. This coin weighs only 2.0 g and has a relatively rough design, suggesting it may have been privately minted by individuals.

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: A618

年代: 公元 1796-1820 年

材質: 紅銅

尺寸: 20.9 x 20.7 x 0.7 mm

重量: 2.0 g

製造地: 寶源局

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，京師負責工程的工部下轄之寶源局鑄造的「嘉慶通寶」。錢幣形制為典型的方孔錢，材質為紅銅，外緣有明顯的凹口和磨蝕。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「ᠪᠣᠣ ᠶᡠᠸᠠᠨ」(寶源) 兩字標示鑄造單位，銘文有嚴重磨蝕的情形。這枚錢幣重量僅有2.0克，且形制較為粗糙故可能為民間私下所鑄。

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。