Digital museum showcasing the collection of worldwide legends over the years! 千古不朽博物館展示多年來收藏的世界傳奇故事!
ROC
Szechuen Rupee
Kangding Mint
民國
四川盧比
康定造幣廠造
Item number: A1504
Year: AD 1930-1939
Material: Silver
Size: 30.6 x 30.6 x 1.5 mm
Weight: 11.05 g
Manufactured by: Kangding Mint
Provenance: Fuchin Coin 2020
This is a silver coin minted between the 19th and 28th years of the Republic of China (AD 1930–1939) under the direction of Ma Su, a brigade commander serving under Szechuen warlord Liu Wenhui. The minting was overseen by the Kangding Mint, located in the capital of the “Special Administrative District of Szechuen Border.” The coin was modelled after the “Szechuen Rupee,” a silver coin historically used for trade between Szechuen and Tibet since the late Qing Dynasty.
The obverse of the coin features the left-facing portrait of Emperor Guangxu of the Qing Dynasty, depicted wearing a winter hat and a collared long robe. A distinctive characteristic of coins minted at the Kangding Mint is that the curve of Emperor Guangxu’s forehead appears less pronounced and more angular compared to versions issued during the Qing Dynasty.
The reverse of the coin features a beaded circle surrounded by floral patterns inspired by the designs of rupees circulating in British India. At the centre is a vertically aligned eight-petal floral motif, encircled by the Chinese characters “四川省造” (Szechuen Province Mint) arranged in the order of top, bottom, right, and left. A distinguishing feature of coins produced by the Kangding Mint is the unique rendering of the character “四,” where its strokes resemble the character “八.”
In the 28th year of Guangxu’s reign (AD 1902), during the late Qing Dynasty, the widespread circulation of Indian rupees in Tibet, which had even begun to penetrate neighbouring Szechuen, prompted Liu Ting Shu, the then Dajianlu Commissioner, to counteract the situation by manually minting locally produced silver coins. Subsequently, Szechuen Province established the Chengdu Mint, employing mechanical minting techniques to create Szechuen rupees modelled after the Indian rupees bearing the portrait of Queen Victoria. These coins featured the likeness of Emperor Guangxu and continued to serve as a vital medium of trade between Szechuen and Tibet, even after the establishment of the Republic of China, with their production enduring into the Republican era.
The “Special Administrative Region of Chuanbian,” elevated to the status of Xikang Province in AD 1939, is an administrative division that no longer exists today, as it has been absorbed into Tibet and Szechuen. During the Republican era, this region served as a contested zone between Han Chinese warlords, centred in Chengdu, and Tibetan authorities, centred in Lhasa. In AD 1930 (the 19th year of the Republic), Ma Su, the local administrator, imported machinery from Chengdu to establish a mint in Kangding, the provincial capital. The mint was tasked with producing Szechuen rupees for trade with Tibet. However, the quality of coins minted in Kangding was inferior to those produced in Chengdu, with cruder craftsmanship and lower silver content.