Item number: A2913

Year: AD 1942

Material: Nickel-copper alloy

Size: 23.7 x 23.7 x 1.2 mm

Weight: 5.1 g

Manufactured by: Chengdu Mint

Provenance: Spink 2023

This is a 20-cent nickel coin first issued in the 25th year of the Republic of China (AD 1936) by the Central Mint under the Nationalist Government, as part of a currency reform aimed at implementing a decimal monetary system.

The obverse of the coin features a left-facing portrait of Sun Yat-sen. The upper edge is inscribed with the issuance year, “The 31st Year of the Republic of China” (中華民國三十一年). The outer rim is adorned with a key-pattern design, commonly found on ancient Chinese bronzeware.

The reverse of the coin features a key-pattern border similar to the obverse. At the centre is an image of a spade money, a form of currency used during the Spring and Autumn and Warring States periods, which was also adopted by the Nationalist Government as the emblem of the Ministry of Finance. Inside the spade coin is the character “財” (finance) in an oracle bone script-inspired style. On either side of the spade coin, the denomination “廿分” (20 cents) is inscribed in Chinese characters.

In AD 1936, shortly after the Central Mint was ordered by the government to produce decimal-based nickel coins, its location in Shanghai faced attacks from the Japanese military the following year. Beginning in late summer of AD 1937, the mint’s machinery was dismantled—some were hidden on-site, while the majority were gradually relocated to inland cities such as Wuchang, Guilin, Chongqing, Lanzhou, and Chengdu. This strategic relocation aimed to ensure the continued issuance of currency during wartime.

Due to the escalating Second Sino-Japanese War, the supply of nickel became increasingly scarce and its price rose sharply. In response, starting in AD 1940, the Ministry of Finance mandated a new coinage composition, replacing pure nickel with an alloy consisting of 18% nickel, 27% zinc, and 55% copper.

物件編號: A2913

年代: 公元 1942 年

材質: 鎳銅合金

尺寸: 23.7 x 23.7 x 1.2 mm

重量: 5.1 g

製造地: 成都造幣廠

來源: 斯賓克拍賣行 2023

這是民國25年 (公元1936年)起，國民政府管轄的的中央造幣廠為配合十進位制度的貨幣改革，發行之20分面額的鎳幣。

錢幣正面是孫中山的左側肖像，肖像上緣鐫刻發行年份「中華民國三十一年」，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。布幣左右兩側以漢字標示面額「廿分」。

公元1936年，中央造幣廠奉政府命令鑄造十進位的鎳幣沒有多久，廠址所在地上海在隔年就面臨日軍的攻擊。從公元1937年夏末開始，中央造幣廠的機械遭到拆除，一小部分在原地隱藏外，其他機器陸續疏散到武昌、桂林、重慶、蘭州和成都等各個內陸城市，以維繫貨幣在戰爭期間的發行。

由於中日戰爭日益激化，鎳出現短缺和價格上漲。公元1940年起，財政部頒定新的鑄幣成份，將純鎳改為18%鎳、27%鋅和55%銅。