Item number: A2895

Year: AD 1905-1912

Material: Copper

Size: 28.3 x 28.3 x 1.3 mm

Weight: 6.45 g

Manufactured by: Kiang-nan Mint Bureau Silver Dollar Bureau, Nanjing

Provenance: Chang Ming-chuan Collection 2019

This is a privately cast 10 Cash “Guangxu Yuanbao” coin, mass-produced by local forgers in Nanjing between the 28th and 31st years of the Guangxu reign (AD 1901–1905), imitating the official issues of the Kiang-nan Mint Bureau.

Kiangnan Province, with Nanjing as its capital, was an old administrative region from the early Qing Dynasty. Although it was divided into Jiangsu and Anhui provinces during the Qianlong period, the term “Kiangnan” continued to be used through the late Qing and early Republican eras.

The obverse of the coin features a beaded circle enclosing a five-clawed coiled dragon breathing a fireball. Compared to official issues, the dragon on this privately cast version appears more corpulent, with a disproportionately large head. Flanking the outer edge of the beaded circle are five-petalled floral ornaments used as dividers. Faint, partially mirrored and incomplete English lettering can be discerned above and below the dragon—likely indicating the mint name “KIANG-NAN” at the top and the denomination “TEN CASH” at the bottom.

The reverse of the coin also features a beaded circle, within which appear the heavily distorted and cursively rendered Chinese characters Guangxu Yuanbao (光緒元寶), along with the Manchu inscription Boo Ning (ᠪᠣᠣ ᠨᡳᠩ), indicating the mint at Nanjing. The outer edge of the beaded circle is flanked on both sides by five-petalled floral ornaments. At the top, the minting authority is inscribed in Chinese as “Minted in Jiangnan Province” (江南省造), while the bottom bears the denomination “Equivalent to Ten Cash” (元當制錢十文), presented in a mirrored orientation.

In the 27th year of Guangxu (AD 1901), Jiangsu Province, with Nanjing as its capital, began minting machine-struck copper coins, following Guangdong’s example. Starting the following year, the copper coins minted in Nanjing, marked “Kiangnan Province,” featured cyclical dating, which became a distinctive characteristic.

However, by the 32nd year of Guangxu (AD 1906), the oversupply of machine-struck copper coins led to a price decline. To control the economy and reclaim the right to mint coins, the Qing court ordered the cessation of copper coin minting across all provinces. Despite this, the regional governors, whose power had significantly increased since the Boxer Rebellion, were reluctant to relinquish the profits from minting. Consequently, the court’s ban was only partially effective, leading to a loss of public trust in copper coins and rendering them less effective in achieving their intended economic function.

物件編號: A2895

年代: 公元 1905-1912 年

材質: 紅銅

尺寸: 28.3 x 28.3 x 1.3 mm

重量: 6.45 g

製造地: 江南鑄造銀元制錢總局，南京

來源: 張明泉舊藏 2019

這是一枚光緒28至31年 (公元1901至1905年) 之間，民間私下仿鑄南京的「江南鑄造銀元制錢總局」量產的面額十文「光緒元寶」。江南省是清初以南京為省會的舊行政區。即便在乾隆年間，該行政區早已被劃分為江蘇和安徽兩省，不過其意象仍持續沿用至清末民初。

錢幣的正面有一道珠圈，內部是一條吐著火球的五爪蟠龍。相較於官方的版別，民間私下鑄造的龍圖騰較為肥胖，頭的比例也較為巨大。珠圈外圍的左右兩側以五瓣花飾作為分野，上下兩側依稀有些鏡射的不完整英文字母，上緣應該會是地名「KIANG-NAN」(江南)，下緣則會是面額「TEN CASH」(十文)。

錢幣背面同樣有一道珠圈，珠圈內部是字跡十分潦草和扭曲變形的漢字「光緒元寶」和滿文「ᠪᠣᠣ ᠨᡳᠩ」(寶寧)。珠圈外圍的左右兩側以五瓣花飾作為分野，上緣以漢字標示鑄造單位「江南省造」，下緣則是以鏡射狀態呈現的面額「元當制錢十文」。

光緒27年(公元1901年) 7月，以南京為省會的江蘇效仿廣東，開始鑄造本省的機鑄銅元。隔年起，南京鑄造的「江南省」銅元都會標註出廠時間的干支紀年，成為其一大特色。而光緒32年(公元1906年)，由於各省的機鑄銅元供過於求，導致其價格下跌。朝廷為控制經濟和收回地方鑄幣權，下令各省停止鑄造銅元。然而八國聯軍以來，權力大幅提升的各地方總督不願放棄鑄幣背後的收益，因此朝廷的禁止效果有限。最後卻也造成市場對於銅元的信任不足，使其無法有效發揮原先設想的經濟作用。