Item number: A2783

Year: AD 1948

Material: Copper

Size: 18.5 x 18.5 mm

Manufactured by: Central Mint

Provenance: Fuchin Coin 2020

In October AD 1948 (the 37th year of the Republic of China), the Nationalist Government implemented the Gold Yuan (金圓劵) currency system in an attempt to kerb the severe inflation caused by the devaluation of the Fabi (法幣). Alongside the issuance of new paper currency, the Ministry of Finance ordered the Central Mint, which had recently been relocated back to Shanghai, to produce a one-fen copper coin as subsidiary currency to complement the Gold Yuan notes. However, due to the rapid onset of hyperinflation following the Gold Yuan’s introduction, the one-fen copper coin saw only limited circulation before quickly fading from use and disappearing from the monetary system.

The overall design of the coin follows the stylistic pattern adopted for the one-fen copper coin since AD 1935 (the 24th year of the Republic of China). Both sides of the coin are decorated along the rim with a traditional meander (key-fret) pattern. The obverse features a sun emblem with twelve radiating rays, representing the national emblem of the Republic of China. Above the national emblem is the coin’s year of issue, inscribed as “The 37th Year of the Republic of China” (中華民國三十七年).

At the centre of the reverse side of the coin is a spade money (布幣) totem — a type of currency that circulated during the Spring and Autumn and Warring States periods, later adopted by the Nationalist Government as the emblem of the Ministry of Finance. Within the spade money design is the character “財” (wealth), rendered in an oracle bone script-inspired style. On either side of the central motif, the coin’s denomination “一分” (one cent) is inscribed in regular script.

物件編號: A2783

年代: 公元 1948 年

材質: 紅銅

尺寸: 18.5 x 18.5 mm

製造地: 中央造幣廠

來源: 福君錢幣 2020

民國37年 (公元1948年) 10月，國民政府為挽救法幣貶值造成的通貨膨脹，改而推行金圓劵制度。除了發行新的紙幣之外，財政部也要求遷回上海的中央造幣廠發行輔助金圓劵的一分銅幣。不過金圓劵發行之後，也難逃嚴重的通貨膨脹使得一分銅幣來不及大量使用，便退出歷史舞台。

錢幣整體設計沿用民國24年 (公元1935年) 起，一分銅幣使用的圖案風格。錢幣兩面的周圍以回字紋作為裝飾。錢幣正面的十二道光芒太陽是中華民國國徽，國徽上緣是硬幣發行年份「中華民國三十七年」。

錢幣背面的正中間是春秋戰國時代流通，並且被國民政府用作財政部符號的布幣圖騰，布幣內還有仿造甲骨文的「財」字，左右兩側以漢字標示面額「一分」。