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Qing Dynasty
Xianfeng Chungbao
10 Cash
Bao Di Bureau
清
咸豐重寶
當十
寶迪局造
Item number: A1509
Year: AD 1855-1861
Material: Copper
Size: 26.8 x 26.3 x 1.6 mm
Weight: 5.8 g
Manufactured by: Bao Di Bureau
Provenance: Fuchin Coin 2020
This is a coin minted in the 4th year of the Xianfeng reign (AD 1854) by the newly established Bao Di Bureau in Dihua, Xinjiang (modern-day Urumqi). To address the severe financial strain faced by the Qing Empire due to the Anglo-French forces and the Taiping Rebellion, the bureau followed the example of other provincial mints in central China by producing high-denomination Xianfeng Chungbao coins. This coin, with a face value of ten cash, is made of red copper.
The coin follows the typical Chinese square-holed design. Due to its age, the surface has suffered significant wear, though the inscriptions remain faintly discernible. On the obverse side, the four Chinese characters Xianfeng Chungbao (咸豐重寶) are engraved in the order of top, bottom, right, and left.
The reverse side, which exhibits more significant wear, features the denomination “當十” (worth ten cash) inscribed on the top and bottom. On the left and right sides, following Qing Dynasty coinage standards, the mint name abbreviation “ᠪᠣᠣ ᡩᡝᡳ” (Bao Di) is engraved in Manchu script.
Since the Qianlong reign, following the conquest of the Dzungars in Northern Xinjiang and the Khoja uprisings in Southern Xinjiang, the region was incorporated into the Qing Empire. Local mints were established to produce coinage for the area. Notably, the Qing Empire generally used the Tianshan Mountains as a dividing line. In Northern Xinjiang, where Mongols, Manchus, and Han Chinese immigrants were more populous, minting practises followed those of Central China, with brass serving as the primary material for coinage. In contrast, in Southern Xinjiang, where Uyghurs were the majority, local customs were respected, and red copper was used as the main material, giving rise to what was colloquially known as “red cash.” The Qing administration further stipulated that the issuance and circulation of these two types of coinage would be divided geographically, with Turpan (Tokson) serving as the boundary.