Item number: A2892

Year: AD 1949

Material: Gold

Size: 14.6 x 14.6 mm

Manufactured by: Chengdu Branch Mint

Provenance: Chang Ming-chuan Collection 2023

This is a gold pattern coin dated to the 38th year of the Republic of China (AD 1949), produced by the Nationalist government in a final effort to stabilise the collapsing economy amid the ravages of the Chinese Civil War and runaway hyperinflation. Struggling for survival in the southwestern stronghold of Sichuan, the government commissioned the Chengdu branch mint to strike this 1-mace gold coin, with plans for official issuance the following year. However, due to insufficient gold reserves and the fall of Chengdu to Communist forces in December of that year, the coin was never released into circulation. As a result, surviving specimens are extremely rare.

The coin was struck using the same die design as the 5-cent nickel coin issued in the 29th year of the Republic of China (AD 1940). The obverse features a left-facing portrait of Sun Yat-sen. Above the portrait is the intended year of issuance, inscribed in Chinese as “Republic of China Year 39” (中華民國三十九年). The outer rim is adorned with a key-pattern design, a traditional Chinese decorative motif commonly found on ancient bronze vessels.

The reverse of the coin also features a key-pattern design along the outer border. At the centre is the spade money motif—a form of currency used during the Spring and Autumn and Warring States periods—adopted by the Nationalist government as the emblem of the Ministry of Finance. Within the spade is the character “財” (wealth), rendered in an oracle bone script style. Flanking the spade design are the Chinese characters denoting the denomination: “足金壹錢” (One Mace of Pure Gold).

Gold coins bearing this spade motif were issued in multiple denominations, including 1 mace, 2 mace, 4 mace, 5 cent, and 20 cents. Among the 1 mace coins, two die varieties exist, distinguished by the use of either the simplified numeral “一” or the formal character “壹” for “one.”

物件編號: A2892

年代: 公元 1949 年

材質: 黃金

尺寸: 14.6 x 14.6 mm

製造地: 成都造幣分廠

來源: 張明泉舊藏 2023

這是一枚民國38年 (公元1949年)，面對國共內戰的戰火和失控的通貨膨脹雙重壓力之下，退縮到中國西南一隅的四川最後掙扎的中華民國政府，以四川成都的造幣分廠鑄造，計畫在隔年發行面額一錢金質樣幣。但黃金儲備量不足，加上當年12月成都遭到中共解放軍攻陷而未發行，其存世十分罕見。

錢幣沿用民國29年 (公元1940年) 的伍分鎳幣模具。錢幣正面是孫中山的左側肖像，肖像上緣鐫刻原先計畫的發行年份「中華民國三十九年」，外圍以中國古代經常出現在青銅器上的回字紋作為裝飾。

錢幣背面的外圍同樣以回字紋作為裝飾，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，布幣圖案的左右兩側打印面額「足金壹錢」。布幣圖像的金幣有一錢、二錢、四錢、伍分和廿分等面額，其中一錢面額還分為「一」和「壹」兩種模板。