Item number: A2919

Year: AD 1943

Material: Nickel-copper alloy

Size: 27.7 x 27.7 x 1.8 mm

Weight: 9.0 g

Manufactured by: Chengdu Mint

Provenance: Spink 2023

This is a coin issued from the 30th year of the Republic of China (AD 1941) onward, during the period when the Nationalist Government had relocated to Chongqing. It was struck at the Chengdu Mint and features a modified version of the nickel coin bearing the portrait of Sun Yat-sen, with the denomination “Half Yuan” added to the original design.

The obverse of the coin features a left-facing portrait of Sun Yat-sen. The upper edge is inscribed with the issuance year, “The 32nd Year of the Republic of China” (中華民國三十二年). 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 like 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 “半圓” (Half Yuan) is inscribed in Chinese characters. The edge of the coin features a reeded design.

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: A2919

年代: 公元 1943 年

材質: 鎳銅合金

尺寸: 27.7 x 27.7 x 1.8 mm

重量: 9.0 g

製造地: 成都造幣廠

來源: 斯賓克拍賣行 2023

這是一枚民國30年 (公元1941年)起，播遷至重慶的國民政府以成都造幣廠為基地，在孫中山像鎳幣基礎設計上增設的「半圓」面額。

錢幣正面是孫中山的左側肖像，肖像上緣鐫刻發行年份「中華民國三十二年」，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「半圓」。錢幣的側邊帶有齒邊。

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。