Item number: A389-6

Year: AD 1900-1905

Material: Copper

Size: 27.7 x 27.7 x 1.6 mm

Weight: 7.2 g

Manufactured by: Fujian, Fookien Official Silver Bureau

Provenance:

1. Noonans 2022

2. D. L. F. Sealy Collection

This is a Guangxu Yuanbao machine-cast copper coin with a denomination of “Ten Cash,” produced in the 26th year of the Guangxu reign (AD 1900). Inspired by the successful issuance of Western-style copper coins in the neighbouring Guangdong Province, the Viceroy of Fujian and Zhejiang, Xu Yingkui, petitioned the imperial court and received approval from the Ministry of Revenue. Consequently, the Fookien Official Silver Bureau manufactured these coins.

The obverse of the coin features two beaded circles. At the centre is a five-clawed coiled dragon breathing a fireball. The outer edge is divided by five-petal floral designs on each side. The upper edge is inscribed with “FOO-KIEN” in Wade-Giles romanisation, representing Fujian, while the lower edge displays the denomination “10 CASH.”

The reverse of the coin also features two beaded circles. Within the inner circle, the four Chinese characters “Guangxu Yuanbao” are inscribed, with the Manchu characters “Bao Fu” read from left to right at the centre. The outer edge is similarly divided by five-petal floral designs. The upper edge is inscribed with “Minted by the Fookien Official Silver Bureau ,” while the lower edge displays the denomination in Chinese characters “Each one worth ten cash.”

In the 20th year of the Guangxu reign (AD 1894), local merchants received official permission to establish a privately funded “Fookien Silver Dollar Bureau” in Fuzhou. By the 26th year of Guangxu (AD 1900), this bureau was restructured into the state-operated “Fookien Official Silver Bureau.” It expanded to encompass twelve factories, taking on the responsibility of minting silver and copper coins for circulation within the province.

The “Guangxu Yuanbao” copper coins minted by the Fookien Official Silver Bureau initially only had a denomination of “Ten Cash,” with later additions of “Twenty Cash” and “Five Cash” denominations. The “Ten Cash” version is the most complex, with materials subdivided into “copper, brass, and cupronickel.” The object is the version made of copper.

物件編號: A389-6

年代: 公元 1900-1905 年

材料: 紅銅

尺寸: 27.7 x 27.7 x 1.6 mm

重量: 7.2 g

製造地: 福建, 福建官局

來源:

1. 諾南斯 2022

2. 大衛.萊斯利.福布斯.西利舊藏

這是一枚光緒26年(公元1900年)，受到相鄰廣東省成功發行西式銅元的鼓舞，時任閩浙總督的許應騤上奏朝廷得到戶部同意後，由福建官銀局生產面額「十文」的「光緒元寶」機鑄銅元。

錢幣正面有兩道珠圈，正中央是一隻口吐火球的五爪蟠龍。外圍兩側以五瓣花飾為分界線，上緣是用威妥瑪拼音標示的「福建」(FOO-KIEN)，下緣則是面額「10 CASH」字樣。

錢幣背面亦有兩道珠圈，內圈是楷書「光緒元寶」四字，正中央以左而右拼讀是滿文「寶福」兩字。外圍同樣以五瓣花為分野，上緣標註生產單位「福建官銀局造」，下緣則是漢字面額「每枚當錢十文」字樣。

光緒20年(公元1894年)，地方商人獲得官方許可後，集資在福州成立民營「福建銀元局」。光緒26年(公元1900年)，「福建銀元局」改制為官辦「福建官銀局」，擴張為擁有十二個廠房的規模，負責鑄造省內流通的銀元和銅元。

福建官銀局鑄造之「光緒元寶」銅元，起先僅有「十文」後續再增加「二十文、五文」兩種面額。「十文」版別最為複雜，原料就能細分為「紫(紅)銅、黃銅和白銅」三種，該物件為紅銅材質的版本。