Item number: A2941

Year: AD 1918-1926

Material: Copper

Size: 28.1 x 28.1 x 1.4 mm

Weight: 7.3 g

Manufactured by: Shanxi Copper Coin Bureau (Shanxi Mint), Taiyuan

Provenance: Spink 2023

This is a copper coin known as a “Zhonghua Tongbi” (Chinese Copper Coin), minted by the Shanxi Copper Coin Bureau between AD 1918 and 1926.

At the centre of the obverse of the copper coin is a double-flag motif. On the right is the Five-Coloured Flag, the national flag of the Beiyang Government period, symbolising the ideal of unity among the five ethnic groups of China. On the left is the Eighteen-Star Flag, which, since the Wuchang Uprising, represented the eighteen provinces of Han Chinese territories and the ideal of provincial autonomy. The tassel knot is positioned to the left, and the stars on the Eighteen-Star Flag are misaligned with the surrounding rope circle rather than directly aligned with it, a variant referred to as “high star”. The Five-Coloured Flag comprises five narrow, wavy stripes separated by fine curved lines, and is thus referred to as the “curved flag”. The two flags are bound together by a tassel; the ribbons fall symmetrically to each side in a slightly raised manner, a feature known as the “curved pendant tassel”. The knot of the tassel consists of three concentric rope loops, with the central loop coiled into a closed form, described as a “coiled tassel loop”. Encircling the motif, separated by decorative rings, the upper perimeter bears the inscription “Zhonghua Tongbi” (“Copper Coin of the Republic of China”) and the lower perimeter reads “Dang Zhiqian Shi Wen” (“Value Ten Cash as Current Coin”), all rendered in regular script (kaishu). The upper and lower inscriptions are separated on either side by an orchid motif.

On the reverse, the central inscription reads “Yi Mei” (“One Piece”), where “mei” indicates the unit of denomination, reflecting the popularised concept that one unit consists of ten wen. The left radical of the character “mei” (specifically the “攵” component) has a notably short horizontal stroke, a stylistic feature referred to as the “short horizontal mei”. On both sides, the inscription is flanked by paired ears of wheat—known as “jiahe”—symbolising agricultural abundance and the guiding principle of promoting agrarian prosperity. The wheat depicted here is relatively short and compact, hence termed “small wheat ears”. These paired wheat stalks are bound at the base by a tassel with a notably short trailing ribbon, a variant referred to as the “short tassel loop”.

In AD 1918 (9th year of the Republic), Yan Xishan, then Military Governor of Shanxi, established the Shanxi Copper Coin Bureau near Qianfoshi (Thousand Buddha Temple) in the outskirts of Taiyuan. He authorised the minting of Zhonghua Copper Coins bearing the denominations “One Mei” and “Twenty Wen.” Minting ceased in AD 1926 (15th year of the Republic) following the central government’s tightening of coinage policy.

After the Xinhai Revolution, Yan Xishan assumed de facto control over Shanxi. From AD 1918 onward, he held the position of Military Governor, instituting a system of unified military and civil governance. He placed emphasis on military training and regional development, promoted new administrative reforms and education, and strove to maintain Shanxi’s neutrality amid the internecine warfare of the Beiyang warlord era. During this period, he manoeuvred among the Zhili and Fengtian cliques, at times forming alliances and at others opposing them, thereby consolidating his own power. Although Shanxi did not experience direct upheaval during national events such as the May Fourth Movement, it was nonetheless influenced by the spread of new cultural and reformist ideas. After the Second Zhili-Fengtian War in AD 1924, Fengtian forces occupied Beijing, and Yan experienced a temporary decline in influence. However, as the dynamics of the Northern Expedition shifted, he reasserted control over Shanxi. By AD 1926, with the National Revolutionary Army launching its campaign, Yan declared his support and emerged as a significant military and political figure in North China, ushering Shanxi into a new phase of governance.

物件編號: A2941

年代: 公元 1918-1926 年

材質: 紅銅

尺寸: 28.1 x 28.1 x 1.4 mm

重量: 7.3 g

製造地: 山西銅元局，太原

來源: 斯賓克拍賣行 2023

這是一枚由山西銅元局，於公元1918至1926年所鑄之中華銅幣。

銅幣正面中央為雙旗圖，右為北洋政府時期之國旗五色旗，象徵五族共和；左為十八星旗，自武昌起義起象徵漢地十八省與聯省自治。纓結左側十八星旗星點與繩圈相錯而非相抵，稱「高星」；五色旗為以細曲線相隔的五條條帶組成，稱「曲旗」。雙旗以纓相繫，飄帶下垂向兩側微揚，故稱「曲吊纓」；纓結繩圈呈三，中央繩圈纏捲閉口，稱「捲纓帶」。以環相隔，上方環列幣名「中華銅幣」；下方環列幣值「當制錢十文」，皆為楷書，上下環列之幣文以蘭花相隔。

銅元背面中央幣文為「壹枚」，以枚紀值體現以十文為一單位的概念深入人心，「枚」字「攵」旁首橫劃較短，稱「短橫枚」。兩側以對生的麥穗——即嘉禾——環繞，「取豐歲足民之義，垂勸農務本之規」，嘉禾較矮小，故稱「小麥穗」；兩束麥穗以纓相繫，纓結垂繩較短，稱「短纓帶」。

民國九年(公元1918年)，山西都督閻錫山於太原郊區千佛寺設銅元局，開鑄中華銅幣「壹枚」及「貳拾文」，至民國十五年，中央鑄幣政策收緊後停鑄。

閻錫山自辛亥革命後掌握山西實權，公元1918年起任督軍，實行軍政合一的統治模式，強調軍事訓練與地方建設，致力推行新政與教育改革，並努力維持山西在北洋軍閥混戰中的中立地位。期間閻與直系、奉系等勢力周旋，時而聯合、時而對抗，藉機壯大自身實力。面對五四運動與全國變局，山西政局雖未直接動盪，但亦受新文化與改革思想影響。公元1924年第二次直奉戰爭後，奉系勢力進入北京，閻一度失勢，後因北伐局勢轉變，重新鞏固山西地位。至公元1926年，國民革命軍北伐展開，閻錫山表態響應，成為華北重要軍政人物，山西政局隨之進入新階段。