Item number: A2618

Year: ND

Material: Gold

Size: 17.5 x 17.5 mm

Provenance: Spink 2023

This is a gold coin fabricated by later generations, most likely minted during or after the Republican period.

The obverse features a half-length frontal portrait of the Guangxu Emperor, dressed in winter court robes and wearing an imperial crown. The image is derived from a sketch included in “China and Her People”, a publication edited by Charles Denby, who once served as the United States Minister to the Qing Empire. The portrait is encircled by a beaded border. During the Qing dynasty, the only officially minted coin bearing an imperial portrait was the Sichuan rupee; this gold coin does not belong to that category.

The reverse displays a central “shou” character rendered in seal script, with its strokes arranged in a circular, interlaced pattern to symbolise longevity. Surrounding it is a motif of twin dragons ascending to support a flaming pearl. This design likely draws inspiration from the one-tael “Da Qing Yinbi” silver coin minted by Zhang Zhidong in AD 1904 (Guangxu 30th year). The two dragons symbolise dual rulership and jointly offering blessings of longevity, presumably commemorating the joint birthdays of the Guangxu Emperor and Empress Dowager Cixi.

According to “Shuan Mi Lu” by Wang Wusheng, written in the late Qing period, in AD 1894 (Guangxu 20th year), Governor-General Gangyi of Guangdong minted 30,000 silver coins for delivery to the capital. These were later presented as part of a tribute to celebrate Empress Dowager Cixi’s sixtieth birthday. This indicates that the coins were intended for circulation rather than specifically for birthday tribute. Moreover, the years of the Guangxu Emperor’s and Empress Dowager Cixi’s significant birthdays (AD 1880, 1890, 1894, and 1904) all predate the official decree of AD 1905 (Guangxu 31st year) permitting other provinces to mint “Da Qing Yinbi”. Additionally, Gangyi, as a known supporter of the Empress Dowager’s faction, would not have issued a coin bearing the emperor’s portrait for her birthday tribute, which further undermines the historical plausibility of the piece. Coins of similar design exist in silver, also considered fabrications; the gold version removes the “Guangdong Province Mint” inscription found on the reverse of the silver coin, likely to further obscure its inauthentic nature.

物件編號: A2618

年代: ND

材質: 黃金

尺寸: 17.5 x 17.5 mm

來源: 斯賓克拍賣行 2023

這是一枚後人臆造之一兩金幣，可能於民國時期或以後鑄造。

金幣的正面為光緒帝正面半身像，身著冬朝服及冠。圖像取自曾任美國駐清公使之田貝(Charles Denby)所編纂之《大清國及其臣民》(China and her people)中，描繪光緒帝之素描插圖。外緣以珠圈裝飾。清代之帝像鑄幣，有且僅有四川盧比一例，此金幣不屬其一。

金幣的背面中央為團壽紋，為「壽」字之篆書筆劃盤繞而呈圓形。外圍環繞雙龍捧珠圖，二龍向上飛騰托舉焰珠。設計可能來自張之洞於光緒三十年(公元1904年)所鑄行之大清銀幣壹兩。此錢幣以雙龍寓二君臨朝並稱壽，似為光緒皇帝與慈禧太后大壽進恭而鑄。

清末王無生《述庵秘錄》載，光緒二十年(公元1894年)，廣東巡撫剛毅鑄銀幣三萬入都，適逢內侍敬獻，轉而賀慈禧六旬大壽。可知銀幣應為流通貨幣而非因賀壽特製。而光緒皇帝與慈禧太后大壽之年分(公元1880、1890、1894、1904年)皆早於諭令他省跟鑄大清銀幣之光緒三十一年(公元1905年)。此外，剛毅身為后黨，鑄帝像賀壽於情理皆不合，故當為臆造。此金幣另有同設計之臆造銀幣流傳，金幣更去銀幣背面之「廣東省造」以混淆視聽。