Item number: A2621

Year: circa AD 1918-1937

Material: Brass

Size: 22.6 x 22.6 mm

Provenance: Spink 2023

This is a so-called “Horse-and-Orchid” coin circulated in the Sichuan region during the Republican period, named for the commonly observed horse and orchid motifs on its obverse and reverse.

The obverse of the copper coin features an image of a fine horse grazing, which is a typical motif for the five-wen denomination type. On this particular coin, the horse has noticeably large ears, and its head is turned at a more pronounced angle. In addition to horses in various postures, other observed obverse designs include water buffalo, tigers, lions, cranes, butterflies, birds, crabs, and qingfu (an insect symbolising wealth in Chinese folklore).

The reverse of the coin depicts a cluster of orchid flowers with overlapping leaves, likely representing gladiolus based on their sword-like shape. The petals of the orchid are rendered abstractly as five evenly spaced lobes. Besides various orchid types, the reverse designs may also include crabapple blossoms, bamboo, plum blossoms, pine trees, chrysanthemums, Chinese roses, peonies, rice stalks, and sometimes emblems borrowed from other coins such as the Kuomintang party emblem or crossed grain sheaves. In certain cases, the name of the minting authority is also inscribed.

Horse-and-Orchid coins were rarely circulated, but they exist in numerous varieties. They are commonly made of copper, including red, yellow, and white copper alloys, with occasional examples struck in silver. These coins were likely minted between AD 1918 and AD 1937, following the format of contemporary copper coinage, including five-wen, ten-wen, and twenty-wen denominations. The edges may be either plain or reeded. The intended use of these coins remains a matter of debate; hypotheses include their use as ceremonial gifts, gambling tokens, amulets, commemorative coins, and, though rare, possibly as small change in circulation. A small number of minting authorities can be traced to mints in Chengdu and Chongqing, though many may have been issued anonymously by local warlords. The Horse-and-Orchid coins of Sichuan may have originated from the longstanding regional tradition of “horse coins” or “striking horse tokens” dating back to the Tang and Song dynasties, though the precise function of such tokens remains unclear today.

During the Republican period, the situation of warlord fragmentation in the Sichuan region was highly complex. Due to its enclosed terrain, inconvenient transportation, and the weakness of the central government, Sichuan became a stronghold of competing military cliques. During the Beiyang Government era, several powerful warlords such as Liu Xiang, Liu Wenhui, Yang Sen, Tian Songyao, and Long Yun successively emerged in the province, each controlling different territories. Their relationships were marked by shifting alliances and recurrent conflicts, resulting in what was commonly referred to as the “Three Lius and One Yang” configuration. In their struggle for territorial dominance and resources, prolonged internal warfare ensued, causing political instability, hardship for the populace, and frequent changes in local administrations. It was not until the outbreak of the War of Resistance against Japan that the central government began gradually integrating some of the military forces and, by leveraging national defence needs, strengthened its control over Sichuan. Nevertheless, warlords continued to wield considerable influence at the local level until AD 1949, when the Chinese Communist Party took control of Sichuan, thus bringing an end to the era of warlord rule.

物件編號: A2621

年代: 約公元 1918-1937 年

材質: 黃銅

尺寸: 22.6 x 22.6 mm

來源: 斯賓克拍賣行 2023

這是一枚流布於民國時期四川地區的馬蘭幣，因錢面背常見馬圖、蘭花圖而得名。

銅幣的正面為駿馬吃草圖，為五文型的常見面圖。此幣馬耳較大，馬首回轉角度較大。正面幣圖除不同姿態的馬外，亦有水牛、老虎、獅子、仙鶴、蝴蝶、小鳥、螃蟹、青蚨等。

銅幣背面為一束蘭花，花葉錯落，觀其葉大約為劍蘭，蘭花花瓣則抽象的畫為均勻五瓣。背面幣圖除各種蘭花外，亦有海棠、竹子、梅花、松樹、菊花、月季、牡丹、稻穀，還有取自他幣的國民黨黨徽、嘉禾圖等，有些或載明鑄主。

馬蘭幣流通極少，但版式多樣。常見為銅質，紅銅、黃銅、白銅兼有，偶有銀質。大約鑄行於公元1918至1937年間，形制仿同時期銅元，有五文型、十文型、二十文型等。幣稜有光邊、齒邊兩種。用途至今仍有爭議，有禮品說、賭場籌碼說、壓勝錢說、紀念幣說等等，極少見但可能用於流通找零。少數鑄主可溯源至成都、重慶造幣廠，亦可能為不具名之地方軍閥鑄造。蜀地馬蘭幣可能源於唐宋以來的「馬錢」或「打馬錢」文化，但馬錢今日同樣用途不明。

民國時期四川地區軍閥割據情況十分複雜，因地形封閉、交通不便，加上中央政權薄弱，使四川成為軍閥勢力林立之地。北洋政府時期，四川先後出現劉湘、劉文輝、楊森、田頌堯、龍雲等多位實力派軍閥，各自控制一方，彼此間時而聯合、時而衝突，形成所謂「三劉一楊」的局面。軍閥為爭奪地盤與資源，長期發生內戰，導致政局混亂、民生困苦，地方政權更替頻繁。直到抗日戰爭爆發後，中央才逐漸整合部分軍事力量，並借助國防需要強化對四川的控制，但軍閥勢力仍在地方保持相當影響力，直至公元1949年中共接管四川，軍閥割據局面方告終結。