Item number: A2940

Year: AD 1918-1921

Material: Copper

Size: 32.0 x 31.8 x 1.8 mm

Weight: 11.05 g

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

Provenance: Spink 2023

This is a copper coin of the Republic of China, minted by the Shanxi Copper Coin Bureau between AD 1918 and 1921.

On the obverse, the central motif features two crossed flags. On the right is the five-coloured flag of the Beiyang Government, symbolising the unity of the five ethnic groups; on the left is the Eighteen-Star Flag, which, since the Wuchang Uprising, came to represent the federal autonomy of the eighteen Han provinces. The inner circle of the nine stars within the Eighteen-Star Flag lacks enclosing circles. The five-coloured flag consists of five bands separated by four finely incised curved lines, a style known as “curved-flag” (quqi). The two flags are bound by a cord with a relatively small central knot. The flags are enclosed within a circular border. Along the upper rim is the inscription “中華銅幣” (“Zhonghua Tongbi”), and along the lower rim is the nominal year of issue “民國八年” (“8th Year of the Republic”), both written in regular script (kaishu). The upper and lower inscriptions are separated on either side by orchid flower motifs.

The reverse bears the denomination “貳拾文” (“Twenty Cash”) at the centre, with the horizontal stroke of the character “文” being relatively short. On either side are symmetrical sheaves of wheat (jiahe), symbolising auspicious harvests and the principle of securing the people’s livelihood through agricultural prosperity. The jiahe are relatively short in stature. Of particular note, the wheat leaf located at the lower right of the uppermost left wheat stalk stands upright with a slight curve, a feature known as “straight leaf” (zhiyè).

In AD 1918 (Year Nine of the Republic), Yan Xishan, the Military Governor of Shanxi, expanded the Army Arsenal and established the Copper Coin Bureau in Qianfo Temple on the outskirts of Taiyuan. He collected privately minted coins from the populace as raw material and began minting copper coins denominated as “One Wen” and “Twenty Wen”. Approximately three privately minted coins were required to produce one “One Wen” coin, yielding considerable profit. Minting ceased in Year Fifteen of the Republic when central government policy on coin production tightened. For the “Twenty Wen” coin, there are two varieties of obverse inscriptions: one dated Year Eight and the other Year Ten of the Republic.

Yan Xishan had held de facto power in Shanxi since the Xinhai Revolution. From AD 1918 onward, he served as military governor, implementing a militarised governance model that integrated military and civil administration. He emphasised military training, industrialisation, and infrastructure development, and was committed to promoting reform and modern education. He also endeavoured to maintain Shanxi’s neutrality amid the internecine conflicts among the warlord cliques of the Beiyang era. Throughout this period, Yan manoeuvred between the Zhili and Fengtian factions, at times aligning with and at times opposing them, using the opportunities to strengthen his own position. Although the May Fourth Movement and the ensuing national upheavals did not cause direct unrest in Shanxi, the province was nonetheless influenced by the New Culture Movement and reformist thought. After the Second Zhili-Fengtian War in AD 1924, Fengtian forces entered Beijing, leading to a temporary decline in Yan’s influence. However, with the shifting tide of the Northern Expedition, Yan was able to reassert his control over Shanxi. By AD 1926, as the National Revolutionary Army launched the Northern Expedition, Yan publicly expressed support, becoming a key military and political figure in North China, thus ushering Shanxi into a new political phase.

物件編號: A2940

年代: 公元 1918-1921 年

材質: 紅銅

尺寸: 32.0 x 31.8 x 1.8 mm

重量: 11.05 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1921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。十八星旗內圈九星之裡側無圓圈；五色旗由以四條細陰刻曲線相隔的五條帶組成，稱「曲旗」。雙旗以纓鄉相繫，繩圈較小。以環相隔，外圈上方環列幣名「中華銅幣」；下方環列名義之發行年「民國八年」，皆為楷書，上下環列之幣文兩側各以蘭花相隔。

銅幣背面中央幣文為「貳拾文」，「文」字橫劃較短。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，最左上之麥穗的右下方，麥葉挺直稍彎，稱「直葉」。

民國九年(公元1918年)，山西都督閻錫山擴建陸軍修械所，並於太原郊區千佛寺增設銅元局，收購民間制錢為主材，開鑄中華銅幣「壹枚」及「貳拾文」，約三枚制錢可鑄一枚「壹枚」銅幣，獲利頗豐。至民國十五年，中央鑄幣政策收緊後停鑄。「貳拾文」錢背年份有民國八年與民國十年兩種。

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、工業化與基礎建設，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。