Item number: A2689

Year: AD 1912-1928

Material: Copper

Size: 28.0 x 28.0 x 1.5 mm

Weight: 7.4 g

Manufactured by: Jiangnan Mint (Nanjing Mint)

Provenance: Da Chen Stamps and Coins Collection 2014

This is a ten-cash copper coin, a type of “Founding of the Republic Commemorative Coin,” minted by the Jiangnan Mint and issued by the Ministry of Finance of the Republic of China between AD 1912 and 1928.

The obverse features the denomination “十文” (“Ten Wen”) in clerical script at the centre, flanked on both sides by sprays of auspicious grain (jiahe) and grass leaves. These are enclosed by a fine-bead circular border and a coinage ring. The outer circle bears, in the upper arc, the English inscription “THE REPUBLIC OF CHINA,” denoting the national title. The spacing between the English letters and the inner border (commonly referred to as “horse teeth”) is notably wide. The upper and lower inscriptions are separated by a floral ornament comprising seven dots. The lower arc reads “TEN CASH,” corresponding to the face value. The material is unlikely to be brass; the yellowish hue in the copper-coloured areas is attributable to an excessive admixture of lead and tin.

The reverse displays a pair of crossed flags at the centre. The flag on the right is the Five-Coloured Flag, emblematic of the Beiyang Government period and symbolising the unity of five ethnic groups under one republic. The flag on the left is the Iron-Blood Eighteen-Star Flag, which came to represent the federalist republican aspirations of the eighteen Han provinces following the Wuchang Uprising. The flags are tied with a knotted cord, from which tassells hang. The foliage to the left and right of the flags is depicted as lush and abundant. The upper arc bears the national title “中華民國” (“Republic of China”), and the lower arc reads “開國紀念幣” (“Founding of the Republic Commemorative Coin”), both rendered in clerical script. In the character “紀,” the two dots of the radical “糸” on either side are positioned lower than usual.

Both the obverse and reverse have raised rims with rectangular inward-pointing serrations known as “horse teeth.” The coin edge is plain and unornamented.

In AD 1896 (22nd year of the Guangxu reign), Liu Kunyi, then Governor-General of Liangjiang, established the “Jiangnan General Mint for the Manufacture of Silver and Copper Coinage” in Nanjing, initiating the minting of silver dollars. During the late Qing period, the mint underwent several administrative reclassifications, becoming successively the “Jiangnan Branch of the Ministry of Revenue Mint,” the “Jiangnan Silver and Copper Coin Bureau,” the “Jiangsu Jiangning Branch of the Ministry of Revenue Mint,” and the “Department of Revenue Jiangning Mint Branch.” In the early Republic, it was renamed “Jiangnan Mint” and later incorporated into the central government as the “Jiangnan General Mint of the Ministry of Finance.” In AD 1914 (3rd year of the Republic), it was renamed “Nanjing Mint of the Ministry of Finance.” In AD 1929 (18th year of the Republic), the Nanjing Mint suffered a fire, resulting in its closure and the relocation of equipment and personnel to Shanghai.

In AD 1912 (1st year of the Republic), the Republic of China was established, marking the end of monarchy and the rise of republican governance. The new government decided to issue “Founding of the Republic Commemorative Coins” to promote republican ideals, stabilise public sentiment and finances, and to replace the traditional Chinese cash coins with square holes. The form and style of the new coinage aligned with international monetary standards. The initiative was first led by the Nanjing Provisional Government and subsequently continued under the Beiyang Government. Thereafter, due to prolonged political instability and the fragmentation of authority among regional warlords, copper coins, though nominally auxiliary currency, in practise formed a separate monetary system. Their exchange rate with the silver-based primary currency fluctuated constantly. Coin designs varied across regions, and there were considerable differences in minting quality and copper composition. The units of denomination were also diverse and complex, including wen, mei, fen, li, and xian. In AD 1935 (24th year of the Republic), the Nationalist government initiated further monetary unification, designating the Shanghai Mint as the sole institution authorised to issue coinage, thereby bringing an end to the copper coin system inherited from the late Qing dynasty and ushering in the era of legal tender currency.

物件編號: A2689

年代: 公元 1912-1928 年

材質: 紅銅

尺寸: 28.0 x 28.0 x 1.5 mm

重量: 7.4 g

製造地: 江南造幣廠(南京造幣廠)

來源: 大城郵幣社 2014

這是一枚由江南造幣廠所鑄，財政部於公元1912至1928年所發行之開國紀念幣，面額十文之銅元。

銅元正面中央幣文為「十文」隸書，兩側以嘉禾及草葉簇擁。以細環及珠圈相隔，外圈上方環列英文「THE REPUBLIC OF CHINA」即國號「中華民國」，英文距馬齒較遠；以七點花飾相隔兩行幣文，下方環列「TEN CASH」，即「十文」。銅質應非黃銅，銅色部分發黃為所摻鉛錫過多所致。

銅元背面中央為雙旗圖，右為北洋政府時期之國旗五色旗，象徵五族共和；左為鐵血十八星旗，自武昌起義後象徵漢地十八省聯省共和。雙旗交叉，以纓相繫，有穗垂下。雙旗左右側花葉纏枝繁茂，上方環列國號「中華民國」；下方環列「開國紀念幣」，皆為隸書。「紀」字「糸」旁下方兩側兩點位置較靠下​。

銅元正背面幣緣均為凸環，有矩狀齒向內，稱「馬齒」。幣稜光素無紋。

光緒二十二年(公元1896年)，時任兩江總督劉坤一於南京設「江南鑄造銀元制錢總局」，開鑄銀元。於清末先後改制為「江南戶部造幣分廠」、「江南銀銅元總局」、「江蘇江寧戶部造幣分廠」、「度支部江寧造幣分廠」。民國時期，該廠更名為「江南造幣廠」，後劃歸中央稱「財政部江南造幣總廠」。民國三年(公元1914年)，更名「財政部南京造幣廠」。民國十八年(公元1929年)，南京造幣廠突發火災，廠房關閉，器械人員遷往上海。

民國元年(公元1912年)，中華民國成立，帝制終結，共和方興。政府決定發行「開國紀念幣」，藉此宣揚共和理念、穩定民心與財政，同時替代傳統中國使用的方孔圓錢，形制上接軌世界。最初由南京臨時政府主導，隨後北洋政府繼續發行。此後，由於長期政局板蕩，軍閥割據，銅元名為輔幣，實則自成體系，與銀主幣匯率隨時而升降。幣圖各地不同，工藝與銅質更是差別頗大，紀值單位亦複雜多元，有文、枚、分、釐、仙等。民國二十四年(公元1935年)，國民黨政府開始進一步統一幣制，規定僅上海鑄幣廠有鑄幣權，終結作為晚清遺緒的銅元制，進入法幣時代。