Item number: A2784

Year: AD 1803

Material: Silver

Size: 26.0 x 26.1 mm

Manufactured by: Bao Zang Bureau, Lhasa

Provenance: Fuchin Coin 2020

This is a 1-Sho silver coin minted in the 8th year of the Jiaqing reign (AD 1803) by the Bao Zang Bureau in Lhasa. The coin’s design imitates the traditional Chinese square-holed cash coin, though the central square is solid rather than perforated.

The obverse of the coin features a solid central circle, within which the four Chinese characters “Jiaqing Bao Zang” (嘉慶寶藏), meaning “Jiaqing Treasure Coin,” are arranged in a clockwise sequence: top, bottom, right, and left, encircling a central square motif. Compared to Tibetan silver coins minted during the preceding Qianlong reign, this issue reflects a notable shift: whereas earlier coins were primarily crafted by Han Chinese artisans, by this period local Tibetan craftsmen had increasingly taken over minting operations. As a result, certain inaccuracies in the brushstrokes or structure of the Chinese characters may be attributed to artisans unfamiliar with Chinese script copying forms by rote.

Surrounding the central circle is a beaded border, and the characters “Eight Year” (八年), indicating the 8th year of the Jiaqing reign (AD 1803), are inscribed on the right and left sides.

The reverse of the coin also features a solid central circle. Within this circle, each of the four corners is adorned with stylised cloud motifs. Arranged in a clockwise sequence—top, bottom, right, and left—are Tibetan transliterations of the Chinese phrase “Jiaqing Baozang” (藏語: Cha Htsin Pau Gtsang), meaning “Jiaqing Treasure Coin.”

Surrounding the solid circle is a ring of beaded decoration. Along the upper and lower edges, the Tibetan script indicates the regnal year “Eighth Year” (藏語: Brgyad Pa), corresponding to the 8th year of the Jiaqing reign (AD 1803).

The Jiaqing Treasure Coin was issued exclusively in a single denomination of 1 Sho. Its minting spanned from the 1st to the 9th year of the Jiaqing reign (AD 1796–1804), although production was suspended during this period. Coinage later resumed briefly during the 24th and 25th years of Jiaqing’s reign (AD 1819–1820).

Since the fifth century, Tibet has maintained close commercial trade with the kingdoms of the Kathmandu Valley in the southern foothills of the Himalayas. Starting from the seventeenth century, Tibet annually provided a large amount of silver to Nepal, which was then used by the latter to mint silver coins. With the unification of the Kathmandu Valley’s three kingdoms under the rule of King Prithvi Narayan Shah in AD 1767, negotiations between the Khalsa dynasty and Tibet over the purity of minted silver coins broke down, leading to increased trade and border conflicts between the two nations.

In AD 1788 and AD 1791, Nepal–Tibet Wars erupted, during which the Khalsa forces briefly occupied the fief of the Panchen Lama, the Tashi Lhunpo Monastery. Sensing the escalating situation, Emperor Qianlong dispatched his nephew, Prince Jiayong of the Second Rank, Fukan’an, to lead Qing forces into Tibet. In AD 1792, facing the advance of Fukan’an’s troops towards the Nepalese capital Kathmandu, the Khalsa dynasty surrendered and became a vassal state of the Qing Empire. Concurrently, Emperor Qianlong exploited the war to enhance the authority and military presence of the Imperial Commissioner-Resident of Tibet, strengthening Qing control and influence over Tibet.

Against this backdrop, Fukan’an, together with the Dalai Lama and the Panchen Lama, negotiated the “29-Article Ordinance for the More Effective Governing of Tibet” and subsequently established the “Bao Zang Bureau” in Lhasa in AD 1792. The minting process adopted the manual “engraved plate pressing” technique prevalent in the Inner Eurasia region, resulting in each coin possessing unique characteristics in its patterns and inscriptions.

物件編號: A2784

年代: 公元 1803 年

材質: 銀

尺寸: 26.0 x 26.1 mm

製造地: 寶藏局，拉薩

來源: 福君錢幣 2020

這是一枚嘉慶8年 (公元1803年)，拉薩「寶藏局」鑄造的面額1錢「嘉慶寶藏」銀幣。錢幣的造型模仿漢地流通的方孔錢造型，不過中間是實心的方孔。

錢幣正面有一道實心圓，圓圈內是按照上、下、右、左順序，圍繞著方框的四個漢字「嘉慶寶藏」。相較於嘉慶前任的乾隆年間鑄造的西藏銀幣，彼時鑄幣工匠已逐漸從漢人改為就地招募的藏人，故可能為不懂漢字的藏人工匠臨摹漢字造成筆劃上的錯誤。實心圓外圍有一道珠圈，右側和左側打印發行的年份「八年」。

錢幣背面同樣有一道實心圓，圓圈內的四個角落以抽象的雲朵圖騰作為裝飾，並且按上下右左，依序是用藏文拼寫漢語的「嘉慶寶藏」(藏語:Cha Htsin Pau Gtsang ) 拼音。實心圓外圍以環繞的珠點作為裝飾，上下兩側以藏文字母標示年份「八年」(藏語: Brgyad Pa)。

嘉慶寶藏僅有一錢一種面額，其鑄造的年份橫跨嘉慶元年至9年 (公元1796至1804年)，中間曾經有停鑄，直到嘉慶24至25年 (公元1819至1820年) 又重新恢復鑄造。

自公元五世紀起，西藏跟地處喜馬拉雅山南麓的尼泊爾谷地諸王國有密切商貿往來。公元十七世紀起，西藏每年提供大量的白銀給尼泊爾，委由後者鑄造銀幣。隨著公元1767年，強人普利特維·納拉揚·沙阿國王領導下，廓爾喀王朝統一尼泊爾谷地的三個王國。廓爾喀王朝跟西藏就鑄幣銀純度的談判破局，致使兩國貿易和邊界衝突激增。公元1788和1791年，先後發生兩次廓爾喀戰爭，廓爾喀還一度攻下班禪的駐錫地扎什倫布寺。乾隆皇帝有鑑於此，派遣姪子「嘉勇郡王」福康安率軍入藏。公元1792年，面對福康安領導的清軍逼近首都加德滿都，廓爾喀王朝降服和成為清帝國藩屬。另一方面，乾隆皇帝也藉此戰爭，增加駐藏大臣權力和駐軍，強化清帝國對於西藏的控制和影響力。

上述背景下，福康安會同達賴和班禪議定《欽定藏內善後章程二十九條》，旋即在拉薩成立「寶藏局」(公元1792年)。鑄造工藝承襲流行於內亞地區的手工「雕版壓模」，為此每枚硬幣在紋飾和文字上，有其自身獨一無二的特徵。