Item number: A376-2

Year: AD 1878

Material: Silver

Size: 13.5 x 12.8 x 1.4 mm

Weight: 1.85 g

Manufactured by: Kucha, Xinjiang

Provenance:

1. Noonans 2022

2. D. L. F. Sealy Collection

This is a coin minted in the 4th year of the Guangxu reign (AD 1878), following the recapture of the southern Xinjiang stronghold of Kucha by Qing forces from Yakub Beg. To eliminate the circulation of Yakub Beg’s currency while respecting local trading customs, local craftsmen were commissioned to manually produce the “Guangxu Tenga,” modelled after Yakub Beg’s currency. These silver coins typically weigh between 1.1 and 1.75 grams and have a denomination of “Five Fens.”

Since these coins were crafted by hand, the alignment between the mould and the coin was not always precise, often resulting in missing inscriptions or decorations. On the obverse of this coin, only inscriptions are printed without the surrounding decorative elements. The inscriptions are spelt out using the Chagatai script to represent the pronunciation of the Chinese language. Printed in three lines from bottom to top, it reads “گاى نگسۇى,” which represents the reign title of the current emperor, Guangxu.

On the reverse, surrounding the centre, are two solid circular bands with a wave-like pattern in between. The inscriptions inside the circular bands, from bottom to top, read “توتنجى يلي,” meaning “the fourth year.” Combining this inscription with the one on the obverse, it can be determined that this coin was minted in the fourth year of the Guangxu era, corresponding to the year AD 1878.

In the 3rd year of the Tongzhi Emperor’s reign (AD 1864), Xinjiang was influenced by the Dungan Revolt in the neighbouring Shaanxi and Gansu provinces. The Turkic-speaking Muslims of Xinjiang, sharing the same faith, initiated uprisings to overthrow Qing rule, establishing various independent regimes in the region’s oases. In the following year, the 4th year of Tongzhi (AD 1865), Yakub Beg, a military officer from the neighbouring Central Asian Khanate of Kokand, was invited into Xinjiang. He soon took control, establishing the Yettishar Khanate in southern Xinjiang.

Yakub Beg introduced a Central Asian currency system with the use of Tilla (gold), Tenga (silver), and Pul (copper), which was quickly accepted by the local Muslim population due to their shared Islamic faith. At that time, the Qing dynasty, preoccupied with the Taiping Rebellion and the Dungan Revolt, lacked the resources to reclaim Xinjiang. It wasn’t until the 2nd year of the Guangxu Emperor’s reign (AD 1876) that Zuo Zongtang, the Hunan Army general responsible for quelling the Dungan Revolt, launched a military campaign to defeat Yakub Beg.

In May of the third year of the Guangxu reign (AD 1877), Yettishar Khanate plunged into internal turmoil following the sudden demise of Yakub Beg. Seizing the opportunity, Zuo Zongtang, who had regained control of Urumqi, launched an offencive. On August 25 of that year, under the command of Zuo Zongtang, Liu Jintang, a fierce general who would later become the first governor of Xinjiang Province, led troops to attack southern Xinjiang. By October 18, they successfully captured one of the important oases, Kuche, known as the “East Four Cities.”

After the Qing army first recaptured Kucha, they aimed to assert their restored authority and reclaim the coinage minted by Yakub Beg. Zhang Yao, the Guangdong provincial military commander assisting the military efforts, recruited local silversmiths to produce imitation tenga silver coins. As the Qing army continued to recapture cities, they repeated this process, minting similar coins in each newly liberated area. However, by the 6th year of Guangxu (AD 1880), Zuo Zongtang, the general overseeing Xinjiang, sought to address the issues of counterfeiting and poor-quality coins. He decided to replace the imitation tenga coins with new machine-minted silver currency.

物件編號: A376-2

年代: 公元 1878 年

材質: 銀

尺寸: 13.5 x 12.8 x 1.4 mm

重量: 1.85 g

製造地: 庫車，新疆

來源:

1. 諾南斯 2022

2. 大衛.萊斯利.福布斯.西利舊藏

這是一枚光緒4年(公元1878年)，清軍甫從阿古柏手中奪回南疆綠州重鎮的庫車後，一方面為銷毀阿古柏時期流通的貨幣，一方面又顧及當地居民交易習慣的權衡下，委由在地工匠模仿阿古柏貨幣，手工打造的「光緒天罡」。這些銀錢的重量大致落在1.1至1.75克之間，其面額為「五分」。

由於這些錢幣是以手工打造，模具和錢幣未必完全對齊，常有缺少銘文或裝飾的情形發生。這枚錢幣的正面，僅有打印銘文而缺少邊緣的裝飾，銘文以察合台文拼寫漢語發音，依下而上的排序以三行文字打印「گاى نگسۇى」，即時任帝國統治者光緒皇帝的年號。

背面的周圍是中間夾有波浪造型的兩道實心圓圈。圓圈內部的銘文，由下而上，依序是「توتنجىيلي」即「第四年」的意思。結合正面出現的銘文，能掌握這枚錢幣是製造於光緒4年(公元1878年)。

同治3年(公元1864年)，新疆受到鄰近的陝甘回變影響，擁有相同信仰的新疆突厥語系穆斯林發動推翻清廷的統治，於各個綠洲建立不同的政權。隔年同治4年(公元1865年)，接鄰的中亞浩罕汗國軍官阿古柏受邀進入新疆，不久即反客為主在南疆建立「哲德沙爾汗國」政權。阿古柏在統治區引入中亞的提拉(金)、天罡(銀)和普爾(銅)貨幣系統，迅速為同為伊斯蘭信仰的居民接受。彼時清廷面對太平天國和陝甘回變無力收復新疆，要待光緒2年(公元1876年)，負責平定陝甘回民的湘軍將領左宗棠，方才發起討伐阿古柏的軍事行動。

光緒3年(公元1877年) 5月，哲德沙爾汗國隨著阿古柏的暴斃陷入繼承內亂，彼時重新控制烏魯木齊的左宗棠趁機發起攻勢。當年8月25日，左宗棠的手下悍將，日後新疆建省首任巡撫的劉錦棠揮兵進攻南疆。10月18日，成功功克「東四城」之一的重要綠洲庫車。

清軍率先攻克庫車後，為彰顯恢復自身的統治和回收阿古柏鑄造的錢幣，協助軍務的廣東提督張曜招募當地銀匠，打造模仿阿古柏的天罡銀錢。後續清軍收復一座城池，便依樣畫葫在當地鑄造該類型的錢幣。直到光緒6年(公元1880年)，負責統領新疆的左宗棠為遏止延伸出的偽造和劣質等問題，決定改以機器鑄造新的銀幣取代天罡。