Item number: A2767

Year: AD 1736-1779

Material: Brass

Size: 24.8 x 24.7 x 1.1 mm

Weight: 4.35 g

Manufactured by: Lin’an Mint, Bao Yun Bureau

Provenance: Da Chen Stamps and Coins Collection 2019

This is a “Qianlong Tongbao” coin issued under the name of the Baoyun Mint between the first and forty-fourth years of the reign of the Qianlong Emperor of the Qing dynasty (AD 1736–1779), produced at the Lin’an Prefecture Mint in Jianshui County, Yunnan Province.

The coin adopts the traditional form of Chinese currency within the Sinosphere—a round coin with a square central hole.

The obverse bears the Chinese inscription “Qianlong Tongbao”. The character “Long” (隆) features an enlarged left radical (阝), with its three strokes occupying a disproportionately large space in the structure. The character “Tong” (通) displays a variant form in which the left portion of the radical 辶 is rendered with three separate dots instead of the standard structure, a variant that may be termed the “Three-Dot Tong”, which is rarely recorded in earlier numismatic catalogues. The reverse of the coin is inscribed with the Manchu characters “ᠪᠣᡠ ᠶᠣᠩ” (Boo Yong), denoting “Baoyun”. The final stroke of the Manchu character for “Bao” (ᠪᠣᡠ) extends leftward, reaching the coin’s outer rim.

The Baoyun Mint was originally established in Yunnan Province during the Shunzhi reign upon the petition of Wu Sangui. It was responsible for the local production and circulation of copper coinage. However, due to copper shortages and the outbreak of the Revolt of the Three Feudatories, it soon ceased operation. During the Kangxi period, copper shortages led to the suspension of minting activities in most provinces, with only the central mints in the capital—Quan and Yuan—remaining operational. In the Yongzheng period, as the production of “Dian copper” (copper from Yunnan) steadily increased and coin production in the capital became financially unsustainable, the idaea of “proxy coinage for the capital” emerged. This policy involved Yunnan assuming responsibility for minting coins locally using Dian copper, in order to reduce transportation and production costs. It was implemented in the early years of Qianlong’s reign but, due to the additional labour and logistical expenses associated with supplying coinage to remote border provinces, the actual cost exceeded expectations, and the policy was discontinued after four years. Toward the end of the Qianlong reign, fluctuations in international markets resulted in silver becoming more valuable and copper coinage depreciating, leading to the gradual cessation of operations at various provincial mints.

The Lin’an Mint in Yunnan was established in the first year of the Yongzheng reign (AD 1723), abolished in the thirty-fifth year of Qianlong (AD 1770), resumed operations in the forty-first year (AD 1776), and was again abolished in the forty-fourth year (AD 1779). It was briefly reactivated during the Jiaqing reign but did not continue thereafter.

The metallic composition of the “Qianlong Tongbao” coins varied by region. From the first to fifth years of Qianlong’s reign (AD 1736–1740), mints in Yunnan continued the Yongzheng-era standard, casting “yellow cash” using a mixture of 60% copper and 40% lead (including zinc and lead). In the fifth year of Qianlong (AD 1740), in response to the widespread practise of melting coins to produce utensils for profit, the composition was changed to “green cash”, comprising 50% red copper, 41.5% white lead (zinc), 6.5% black lead, and 2% tin. All mints were instructed to follow this new standard. It was reported that these green cash coins would shatter with a single strike if melted and reused. However, according to unearthed specimens, a considerable number of yellow cash coins appear to have still been produced, suggesting that the older composition remained in use alongside the official standard.

物件編號: A2767

年代: 公元 1736-1779年

材質: 黃銅

尺寸: 24.8 x 24.7 x 1.1 mm

重量: 4.35 g

製造地: 雲南臨安局

來源: 大城郵幣社 2019

這是清代乾隆帝於乾隆元年至四十四年(公元1736-1779)，由雲南省建水縣臨安府錢局以寶雲局之名，所發行之「乾隆通寶」。

此錢形制為和文化圈傳統之方孔圓錢。錢面錢文為漢文「乾隆通寶」。「隆」字「阝」旁「3」筆所占結構較大；「通」字「辶」旁左側點與折筆寫為三點，或可稱「三點通」，前譜少見。錢背錢文為滿文「ᠪᠣᡠ ᠶᠣᠩ」（寶雲）二字。滿文「寶」字末筆向左延伸，直抵外輪。

「寶雲局」為雲南省於順治年間，由吳三桂奏議所設，專責雲南地區制錢的製造與流通，由於銅料不足及三藩之亂，不久即停。康熙年間，由於銅料缺乏，各省鼓鑄漸停，只存京師泉、源二局。雍正年間，雲南所產「滇銅」，產量日增，加以京師鑄錢虧損，乃有「代京鑄錢」之議，由雲南統籌，就近利用滇銅鑄錢，以節省成本。乾隆初年即實施，但政策實踐上，加計向交通不便的邊省投注人力物力的花費，成本反而更高，於是四年即停。乾隆末，由於國際市場波動，銀貴錢賤，各錢局陸續停鑄。

雲南臨安局則設於雍正元年(公元1723年)，於乾隆三十五年(公元1770年)裁撤，後於乾隆四十一年(公元1776年)復鑄，乾隆四十四年(公元1779年)再度裁撤，家慶朝短暫復鑄後再未續鑄。

乾隆通寶的成色，按地區也各有差別，乾隆元年至五年(公元1736-1740年)，雲南各局襲雍正朝定例，鑄「黃錢」，以銅六鉛(鋅及鉛)四搭配。乾隆五年，由於民間毀錢鑄器以圖利的現象普遍，於是改以紅銅百分之五十、白鉛(鋅)百分之四十一點五、黑鉛百分之六點五、點錫百分之二的比例改鑄「青錢」，各錢局一體遵行，據稱若毀青錢鑄器則一擊即碎。但按出土實物，似乎仍鑄黃錢者仍有不少。