Item number: A1820

Year: AD 1894 dated

Material: Silver

Size: 40.0 x 40.0 mm

Provenance:

1. Spink 2022

2. Dr. Werner Burger

This is a fabricated one-tael silver coin, purportedly minted in the twentieth year of the Guangxu reign (AD 1894) by the Fengtian Arsenal.

The obverse of the coin features a rectangular frame adorned with a rope-like pattern, within which the inscription “Guangxu 20th Year, Fengtian Machinery Bureau” is engraved, indicating the alleged minting location. Flanking the frame are two dragons, with a stylised shou (壽, “longevity”) character in seal script above and a bat motif below. The design, known as “Double Dragon, Fortune, and Longevity,” symbolises both Empress Dowager Cixi and the co-reigning Guangxu Emperor, further referencing the grand celebrations held in that year for Cixi’s sixtieth birthday. The design may have been derived from historical precedents such as the Jilin One-Tael, the Guangdong Longevity One-Tael, and the Double Dragon Precious Star Medal.

The reverse of the coin bears the central inscription “One Tael” (壹兩), surrounded by Manchu script, which appears to be an arbitrary assemblage rather than a coherent inscription. The top three characters, read from right to left, translate as “Minted (Great) Qing Treasure”, while the remaining text is unintelligible. The calligraphy of the Manchu script exhibits irregular strokes and an inconsistent thickness, suggesting it was crafted by an individual unfamiliar with the language. The circular Manchu inscription mirrors the design of the “Fengtian One Dollar” coin, first introduced in AD 1897.

In the twenty-second year of the Guangxu reign (AD June 1896), the Fengtian General Iktangga received imperial approval to purchase machinery and establish a mint for the production of silver dollars. By June of the following year, the Fengtian Machinery Bureau had successfully trial-minted one-dollar and fifty-cent silver coins. The earliest officially minted one-tael silver coin, however, was issued in Hubei in the thirtieth year of Guangxu (AD 1904).

物件編號: A1820

年代: 標示為公元 1894 年

材質: 銀

尺寸: 40.0 x 40.0 mm

來源:

1. 斯賓克拍賣行 2022

2. 布威納博士舊藏

這是一枚後人臆造之一兩銀幣，宣稱於光緒二十年，由奉天機器官局所鑄造。

銀幣的正面為方框，覆以繩紋，方框內有「光緒二十年奉天機器官局」，標示鑄造地。脅配雙龍，上有篆文「壽」字，下有蝙蝠。此「雙龍福壽」之設計，指慈禧太后與共治的光緒皇帝，加以該年為慈禧六旬壽典慶賀的歷史事件。設計可能衍伸自史載「吉林壹兩」、「廣東壽字壹兩」與雙龍寶星勳章。

銀幣的背面中央為「壹兩」，滿文為拼湊而成，上方三字由右至左為「造(大)清寶」，其餘意義不明。滿文字粗細筆怪異，可能為不識滿文者所製。滿文環繞的設計採公元1897年起「奉天一圓」的設計。

光緒二十二年，即公元1896年六月，奉天將軍依克唐阿始奏準購機設局鑄造銀元，次年六月由奉天機器局試鑄一圓、五角銀圓。一兩銀幣最早則由湖北於光緒三十年，即公元1904年鑄行。