Item number: A1833

Year: AD 1920-31

Material: Sillver (.500)

Size: 33.1 x33.1 x 2.0 mm

Weight: 13.55 g

Manufactured by: Yunnan Mint

Provenance: Fuchin Coin 2024

This coin belongs to a series that was first issued in AD 1911 by the Yunnan Longyun Bureau, which had been established in Kunming in the 34th year of the Guangxu reign (AD 1908) to oversee the entire province’s minting operations. It was struck using the die commonly referred to as the “New Yunnan”, replacing the earlier “Old Yunnan” die. The coin is a Guangxu Yuanbao silver piece with a face value of three mace and six candareens, equivalent to five jiao, or half a yuan. The term “Ban kai”, or “half kai”, originally referred to the five-jiao denomination. However, as the silver content of dragon-patterned silver coins gradually declined and their circulation became more widespread, “half kai” came to denote specifically the later half-yuan coins with reduced silver purity. This particular coin may thus be classified as a “half kai”. Compared to the “Old Yunnan” dies, the “New Yunnan” version features smaller script, a more simplified design, and omits English inscriptions.

The obverse of the coin displays two concentric beaded circles formed by dot-like beads, unconnected by fine lines. At the centre is a five-clawed coiled dragon holding a flaming pearl, arranged in a circular dragon formation. The dragon’s head bears a rounded crown with a central dot. Above the head, the dragon’s dorsal ridge contains twenty-seven spines. The dragon’s wings on both sides lack scales. The upper left and right claws are shorter, while the upper right and left claws are longer, all extending in a fan-like shape with inward-curving tips. The dragon’s teeth are short, with triangular points between them. The tail features thirteen evenly spread barbs, earning this style the name “large-tailed dragon”. On either side of the outer periphery, six-petalled bead floral patterns are used as decorative elements. The flaming pearl in the centre contains four hollow rings, a characteristic referred to as the “four hollow-ring variety”, which was in circulation between AD 1920 and 1931. The combination of the “four hollow rings”, “large-tailed dragon”, and the floral pattern at the lower edge—referred to as “dot-ring flower”—is collectively designated as “Type 19”.

The reverse also features two beaded circles. At the centre is the inscription “Guangxu Yuanbao” in both Chinese and Manchu script. On the left and right sides of the outer periphery, six-petalled bead floral patterns serve as dividers. These floral motifs also exhibit variant forms; the present coin’s edge flower is known as the “dot-ring flower”, named for the design in which a single dot is enclosed within a ring at the centre of each six-petalled motif. The upper rim of the coin bears the inscription “Made in Yunnan Province”. In the character “sheng” (province), the initial vertical stroke of the radical “mu” (eye) slightly protrudes beyond the final horizontal stroke, a form known as the “protruding-leg sheng”. At the bottom is the denomination “Kuping three mace and six candareens”. In the character “qian” (mace), the dot in the radical “jin” (metal) is rendered as a straight point, referred to as “straight-dot jin”. In the character “fen” (candareen), the “ba” and “dao” radicals are misaligned, a variation termed “slanted knife”.

Yunnan, situated on the southwestern frontier of China, had been inundated with foreign silver coins—including those from France, Britain, and Mexico—since the late Qing Dynasty’s opening of treaty ports. Due to the region’s geographical isolation and underdeveloped land transportation, silver coins minted in other Chinese provinces encountered significant difficulty in entering Yunnan’s market.

In an effort to expel foreign silver from circulation, Ding Zhenduo, then Viceroy of Yunnan and Guizhou, submitted a memorial to the imperial court in the 32nd year of Guangxu (AD 1906), requesting the establishment of a Western-style mint in Yunnan. Upon imperial approval, the Yunnan Longyun Bureau was established, and by the 34th year of Guangxu (AD 1908), the mint commenced operations.

Following the establishment of the Republic of China, the Yunnan Mint remained operational. After the Xinhai Revolution (AD 1911), its administration was transferred to provincial control and it was formally renamed the Yunnan Mint. In AD 1913, the mint was placed under central government administration and rebranded as the Yunnan Branch of the Ministry of Finance Mint. However, in AD 1915, following the Yunnan Anti-Yuan Rebellion and the province’s declaration of independence, it reverted to the name Yunnan Mint.

Successive warlords and central governments governing Yunnan each sought to modernise the currency system. However, political instability led to monetary disorder, inadvertently allowing the Guangxu Yuanbao to remain widely accepted in the market, with Ban Kai (Half Kai) silver coins being the most prevalent. Subsequent administrations resorted to recasting inferior-quality Guangxu Yuanbao coins, using debased silver as a means to sustain military funding. The mint continued its operations until AD 1950, when it was permanently closed following the establishment of the People’s Republic of China.

物件編號: A1833

年代: 公元 1920-1931 年

材質: 銀 (500‰)

尺寸: 33.1 x33.1 x 2.0 mm

重量: 13.55 g

製造地: 雲南造幣廠

來源: 福君錢幣 2024

這是光緒34年 (公元1908年)，主責全省鑄幣業務並設置於昆明的雲南龍雲局，於公元1911年，以俗稱「新雲南」模具，取代「老雲南」，所發行之光緒元寶銀幣，面額為三錢六分，即五角，等同於半元。「半開」之稱原意亦同於五角，但隨龍銀中含銀量逐漸降低並流布廣泛，「半開」逐漸專指晚期低含銀量的半元銀幣，此銀幣便可稱為「半開」。「新雲南」相較於「舊雲南」的模具，字體較為嬌小，設計較為簡潔，並省略了英文銘文。

錢幣正面有兩道珠圈，珠圈形式為圓點，並無細線相串。正中央是一條吞吐焰珠的五爪蟠龍，盤據成團龍形式，龍首圓冠內應為圓點，龍首上方龍身有龍刺二十七根，左右龍翼無鱗。左上右爪較短，右上左爪較長，皆箕張內扣。龍牙較短，牙間刺成三角狀。龍尾有十三棘，均勻展開，稱「大尾龍」。外圍左右兩側以六瓣珠點花作為裝飾。火焰珠中有四空圈，稱「四空圈版」，此版鑄行於公元1920至1931年。而「四空圈」、「大尾龍」與下段「點圈花」可併稱為「版型十九」。

錢幣背面也有兩道珠圈，正中央是以漢字和滿文標示的「光緒元寶」。外圍左右兩側以六瓣珠點邊花作為分界，而邊花亦有版別，此幣邊花為「點圈花」，因六辦珠花中央為一圈內含一珠點而得名。銀幣上緣標示製造地點「雲南省造」，「省」字「目」旁首劃豎筆稍微前出末劃橫筆，稱「出腳省」。下緣則是面額「庫平三錢六分」，「錢」字「金」旁之點為直點，稱「直點金」；「分」字之「八」旁與「刀」旁並未正對，稱「斜刀」。

雲南地處西南邊陲，自清末開港通商以來，市場上充斥著法國、英國和墨西哥等外國的銀元，國內其他省份鑄造的銀元因為陸上交通不便，反而難以進入雲南市場。因此為驅逐洋銀，在光緒32年 (公元1906年)，時任雲貴總督丁振鐸奏請朝廷在雲南設立西式造幣廠，得到奏准後設雲南龍雲局，於光緒34年 (公元1908年) 正式開工鑄造。雲南造幣廠在民國成立後仍維持營運，辛亥革命後(公元1911年)，改歸省辦，更名雲南造幣廠。公元1913年收歸中央部辦，改稱財政部雲南造幣分廠。公元1915年，雲南討袁起義，宣布獨立，又改回稱雲南造幣廠。雲南歷任軍閥或執政的中央政府，皆欲更新幣制，但政局的不穩反而造成幣制混亂，反而使「光緒元寶」持續受市場接受，其中又以半開銀幣為主。歷任政府亦因此復鑄成色低劣的光緒元寶，以次充好，以補軍資，直到公元1950年中共建政後方才走入歷史。