Item number: A2779

Year: AD 1752-1780

Material: Brass

Size: 23.6 x 23.8 x 1.2 mm

Weight: 4.3 g

Manufactured by: Bao Je Bureau, Hangzhou

Provenance: Da Chen Stamps and Coins Collection 2019

This is the “Qianlong Tongbao” coinage issued under the reign of the Qianlong Emperor of the Qing dynasty, specifically during the period from the 17th to the 45th year of his reign (AD 1752 to 1780). These coins were minted by the Zhejiang Provincial Mint, known as the Bao Je Mint, located in Hangzhou Prefecture, Zhejiang Province. The standard weight was one qian and two fen (approximately 4.3 grams in modern metric measurement), with a face value of one wen, and it was also referred to as “xiaoping qian”, meaning “small normal coin”.

The form of the coin follows the traditional style of the Han cultural sphere: a round coin with a square central hole. The obverse legend is rendered in regular script Chinese characters reading “Qianlong Tongbao”, arranged vertically from top to bottom and read right to left. In the character “Qian”, the right-hand radical is written with a shorter upper and longer lower stroke. In the character “Bao”, the “缶” component is written as “尔”, with its final stroke lacking a hook; the “貝” component displays a break between the middle two horizontal strokes and the right vertical, and is proportionally smaller. The character “Tong” features the “甬” component beginning with “マ” written in the form of “ユ”, whose lower horizontal stroke extends prominently rightward—this is referred to as “protruding-head Tong” (chutou Tong). The “辶” component of “Tong” begins with two elevated dots, known as “double-dot Tong” (shuangdian Tong). The characters “Qian”, “Tong”, and “Bao” all connect to the central aperture, while “Qian” and “Bao” are also joined to the outer rim.

The reverse bears the Manchu inscription “ᠪᠣᠣ ᠵᡝ”, signifying “Bao” on the left and “Zhe” on the right. In the final stroke of the character “Zhe”, the brushline turns upward in a reverse fold, resembling a person crouching sideways—hence the term “crouching Zhe” (dun Zhe); this character also connects to the central hole. Neither character, however, is joined to the rim.

The Bao Je Mint was first established in AD 1649, the 6th year of the Shunzhi reign, in Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province. Originally called the “Zhejiang Provincial Mint”, it was later renamed “Bao Je Mint” during the reigns of Kangxi and Yongzheng, as part of a standardised naming convention across provincial mints. Due to the limited availability of copper resources within Zhejiang, and in light of the Qing court’s attempts to control currency circulation and meet fiscal demands, the Bao Je Mint experienced multiple cycles of closure and reopening throughout the Qing dynasty. Notably, during the Qianlong era, coin production was carried out continuously for 55 years, marking it as one of the most prolific periods of minting in Qing history. The mint’s original location was in “Dacangqian” in Hangzhou, later relocated to “Xitong Second Division, Renhe County”, a site which remained in use until the end of the Qing dynasty.

The metallic composition of the Qianlong Tongbao varied regionally and relied heavily on imported foreign and Yunnan copper. Throughout the Kangxi to Qianlong periods, minting policy underwent several revisions, shifting towards models of cooperation between state and private merchants for material procurement, with some foreign copper acquired via Jiangsu-Zhejiang customs posts. From the 1st to the 5th year of Qianlong (AD 1736–1740), the Bao Je Mint followed precedents from the Yongzheng era by producing “yellow coins”, composed of 60% copper and 40% lead and zinc. In the 5th year of Qianlong, due to the widespread phenomenon of private individuals melting down official coins to make utensils for profit, the minting formula was changed to produce “green coins”, composed of 50% red copper, 41.5% white lead (zinc), 6.5% black lead, and 2% tin. This new alloy was adopted uniformly across all mints and was said to produce coins that would shatter upon impact if melted down to make implements. However, archaeological findings suggest that “yellow coins” continued to be produced in substantial quantities. In the 59th year of Qianlong (AD 1794), possibly due to the widespread dissemination of new private technologies to remelt green coins, the Qing government abolished green coin production and resumed the casting of yellow coins.

The Qianlong Emperor, Aisin Gioro Hongli, reigned from AD 1735 to 1796 and, alongside the Kangxi and Yongzheng Emperors, represented the zenith of Qing imperial rule, often referred to as the “High Qing” era. He pursued both civil and military achievements, overseeing the compilation of the “Complete Library of the Four Treasuries” and suppressing the rebellions of the Dzungars and the Muslim Hui in the northwest, thereby expanding the empire’s territorial reach to its historical apex. Proud of these accomplishments, he styled himself the “Old Man of the Ten Perfect Virtues”. He placed considerable emphasis on Confucian learning and cultural governance. However, his later years were marked by extravagance and increasing political corruption, laying the groundwork for the Qing dynasty’s subsequent decline.

物件編號: A2779

年代: 公元 1752-1780 年

材質: 黃銅

尺寸: 23.6 x 23.8 x 1.2 mm

重量: 4.3 g

製造地: 寶浙局，杭州

來源: 大城郵幣社 2019

這是清代乾隆帝，於乾隆十七年至四十五年(公元1752至1780年)，由浙江省杭州府之浙江省局，即「寶浙局」，所鑄行之「乾隆通寶」。法重一錢二分(約合今4.3公克)，幣值為一文，亦稱為小平錢。

錢幣形制為漢文化圈傳統之方孔圓錢。錢面錢文為漢字「乾隆通寶」楷書，由上至下，由右至左對讀。「乾」字「乙」旁寫為上短下長；「寶」字「缶」旁寫為「尔」，末筆無勾；「寶」字「貝」旁中二橫劃與右豎間斷開，「貝」旁較小。「通」字「甬」旁字首「マ」寫為「ユ」，底橫出頭向右延伸，稱「出頭通」；「通」字「辶」旁字首寫為二點，稱「雙點通」，點位較高。「乾、通、寶」字接穿，「乾、寶」連輪。

錢背錢文為滿文「ᠪᠣᠣ ᠵᡝ」，即左「寶」右「浙」。滿文「浙」字末筆筆順向上反折，似人側蹲，稱「蹲浙」，同時「浙」字接穿；二字均未連輪。

寶浙局設立於清順治六年(公元1649年)，位於浙江杭州，最初名為「浙江省局」，至康熙、雍正年間統一更名為「寶浙局」。因浙江本地銅礦資源有限，清廷為控制貨幣流通與應對財政需求，寶浙局在清代屢次停復，其中乾隆年間連續鑄錢達五十五年，是清代鑄錢最盛時期之一。其局址最初在杭州「大倉前」，後遷至「仁和縣羲同二圖」，該址沿用至清末。

乾隆通寶的成色，按地區也各有差別，所用原料多依賴洋銅與滇銅，並歷經多次政策變更：康熙至乾隆年間改採官商與民商合作方式採辦，部分洋銅亦由江浙關口負責。乾隆元年至五年(公元1736-1740年)，寶浙局襲雍正朝定例，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。乾隆五十九年(公元1794年)，或因民間改鑄青錢之新技術廣泛傳播，故廢青錢，復鑄黃錢。

乾隆帝，清高宗愛新覺羅弘曆，公元1735至1796年在位，乾隆與康、雍並為清朝盛世的象徵。他推行文治武功，編修《四庫全書》，平定準噶爾與回部叛亂，擴展帝國疆域至歷史高峰，以此自稱「十全老人」，並重視儒學與文化治理。晚年奢侈揮霍，政治日漸腐敗，為清朝衰退埋下伏筆。