Item number: A718

Year: AD 1747-1794

Material: Brass

Size: 24.1 x 24.1 x 1.1 mm

Weight: 4.2 g

Manufactured by: Bao Gui Bureau

Provenance:

1. Noonans 2022

2. D. L. F. Sealy Collection

This is a Qianlong Tongbao coin issued by the Bao Gui Mint in Guangxi Province during the reign of Qianlong, the sixth emperor of the Qing Dynasty (AD 1735–AD 1796). The coin features a square hole in the centre.

The coin’s outer rim, inner rim, and central square hole are clearly defined. Both the obverse and reverse show significant wear, but the inscriptions remain legible: the inner rim of the obverse is engraved with the four Chinese characters “乾隆通寶” (Qianlong Tongbao), while the inner rim of the reverse bears the Manchu script “ᠪᠣᠣ ᡤᡠᡳ” (Bao Gui).

In Guangxi province, coin minting during the Qing Dynasty began in the 7th year of Kangxi’s reign (AD 1668) with the establishment of the “Guilin Prefecture Bureau,” also known as “Baogui Bureau.” Initially, there were eight furnaces, and according to the regulations of the Ministry of Revenue, 25,760 strings of coins (with each string containing 1,000 coins) were minted annually. Production continued until the 11th year of Xianfeng’s reign (AD 1861).

物件編號: A718

年代: 公元 1747-1794 年

材質: 黃銅

尺寸: 24.1 x 24.1 x 1.1 mm

重量: 4.2 g

製造地: 寶桂局

來源:

1. 諾南斯 2022

2. 大衛.萊斯利.福布斯.西利舊藏

這是清朝第六任皇帝乾隆在位期間(公元1735至1796年)，由廣西省轄的「寶桂局」發行之「乾隆通寶」，其外觀為方孔錢。

錢幣的外廓、內廓和中央的方孔清晰。正反兩面文字磨損嚴重，不過仍可辨識：正面的內廓鐫刻漢字「乾隆通寶」四字，背面的內廓則鐫刻滿文「ᠪᠣᠣ ᡤᡠᡳ」（寶桂）二字。

廣西一省於清代的鑄錢始於康熙7年(公元1668年)，設於廣西省首府桂林府，全名為「桂林府局」，簡稱「寶桂局」。起先建爐八座，依照戶部規定年鑄二卯，即25,760串錢(每串為1,000枚)，直至咸豐11年(公元1861年)停止生產。