Item number: A644

Year: AD 1736-1796

Material: Brass

Size: 21.2 x 21.2 x 0.7 mm

Weight: 2.05 g

Manufactured by: Bao Yong Bureau

Provenance:

1. Noonans 2022

2. D. L. F. Sealy Collection

This is the ” Qianlong Tongbao,” issued by the “Bao Yong Bureau,” established in Yunnan during the reign of Emperor Qianlong, the sixth emperor of the Qing Dynasty (AD 1735–AD 179). The coin features a square hole design.

The outer rim, inner rim, and central square hole of the coin are heavily worn, with a small section even missing. The inner rim on the obverse side is engraved with the four Chinese characters “乾隆通寶” (Qianlong Tongbao), while the reverse side bears the Manchu inscription “ᠪᠣᡠ ᠶᠣᠩ” (Bao Yong).

In the Qing Dynasty, most coins did not explicitly indicate their denominations but were distinguished by size and weight. The typical cash had a diameter ranging from 24.2 to 28.0 mm and weighed between 3.8 and 4.2 g. This Qianlong Tongbao coin, however, has a diameter of 21.2 mm and weighs only 2.05 g. Given the significant prevalence of private minting during the Qianlong period, it is speculated that this coin may be a privately minted piece.

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: A644

年代: 公元 1736-1796 年

材質: 黃銅

尺寸: 21.2 x 21.2 x 0.7 mm

重量: 2.05 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

這是清朝第六任皇乾隆在位期間(公元1735至1796年)，由雲南地方所設立「寶雲局」發行之「乾隆通寶」，其外觀為方孔錢。

錢幣的外廓、內廓和中央的方孔磨損嚴重，甚至缺了一小角。正面的內廓鐫刻漢字「乾隆通寶」四字，背面的為滿文「ᠪᠣᡠ ᠶᠣᠩ」（寶雲）二字。

清代的錢幣大多不會特別標示面額，僅用大小與重量作為區別，一般的小平錢大小為24.2 ~ 28.0 mm、重量為3.8 ~ 4.2 g，而此枚乾隆通寶的尺寸為21.2mm，重量僅有2.05 g，由於乾隆時期私鑄幣現象十分嚴重，因此推測可能為私鑄幣。

「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。