Item number: A2953

Year: AD 1912-1928

Material: Copper

Size: 28.5 x 28.5 x 1.3 mm

Weight: 7.4 g

Manufactured by: Jiangnan Mint (Nanjing Mint)

Provenance: Spink 2023

This is a copper coin with a denomination of ten cash, minted by the Jiangnan Mint and issued by the Ministry of Finance between AD 1912 and 1928 as part of the “Founding Commemorative Coin” series.

The obverse features the central inscription “十文” (“Ten Cash”) in clerical script (lishu), flanked by clusters of grain (jiahe) and grass leaves. A fine ring and a beaded circle separate the central motif from the outer rim. Along the upper rim appears the English legend “THE REPUBLIC OF CHINA”, representing the national title “Zhonghua Minguo”; the English text is spaced relatively far from the coin’s edge, which is encircled by square-toothed denticles known as “horse teeth” (machi). On either side, a large ornamental dot separates the two lines of inscriptions. The lower rim bears the English denomination “TEN CASH”, corresponding to the central Chinese inscription.

The reverse displays a pair of crossed flags at the centre. The flag on the right is the five-colour flag used during the Beiyang Government, symbolising harmony among the five ethnic groups; the flag on the left is the Iron and Blood Eighteen-Star Flag, adopted after the Wuchang Uprising to represent the federal unity of the eighteen Han provinces. The flags are bound together by a knotted cord with tassells hanging down. On either side of the flags are simplified floral and foliate scrolls. The upper rim bears the national title “中華民國” (“Republic of China”), while the lower rim reads “開國紀念幣” (“Founding Commemorative Coin”), both in clerical script.

The borders on both the obverse and reverse consist of raised rims and inward-facing rectangular denticles, known as “horse teeth” (machi). The coin’s edge is plain and unadorned.

In AD 1896 (22nd year of the Guangxu reign), Liu Kunyi, then Governor-General of Liangjiang, established the “Jiangnan General Mint for the Manufacture of Silver and Copper Coinage” in Nanjing, initiating the minting of silver dollars. During the late Qing period, the mint underwent several administrative reclassifications, becoming successively the “Jiangnan Branch of the Ministry of Revenue Mint,” the “Jiangnan Silver and Copper Coin Bureau,” the “Jiangsu Jiangning Branch of the Ministry of Revenue Mint,” and the “Department of Revenue Jiangning Mint Branch.” In the early Republic, it was renamed “Jiangnan Mint” and later incorporated into the central government as the “Jiangnan General Mint of the Ministry of Finance.” In AD 1914 (3rd year of the Republic), it was renamed “Nanjing Mint of the Ministry of Finance.” In AD 1929 (18th year of the Republic), the Nanjing Mint suffered a fire, resulting in its closure and the relocation of equipment and personnel to Shanghai.

In AD 1912 (1st year of the Republic), the Republic of China was established, marking the end of monarchy and the rise of republican governance. The new government decided to issue “Founding of the Republic Commemorative Coins” to promote republican ideals, stabilise public sentiment and finances, and to replace the traditional Chinese cash coins with square holes. The form and style of the new coinage aligned with international monetary standards. The initiative was first led by the Nanjing Provisional Government and subsequently continued under the Beiyang Government. Thereafter, due to prolonged political instability and the fragmentation of authority among regional warlords, copper coins, though nominally auxiliary currency, in practise formed a separate monetary system. Their exchange rate with the silver-based primary currency fluctuated constantly. Coin designs varied across regions, and there were considerable differences in minting quality and copper composition. The units of denomination were also diverse and complex, including wen, mei, fen, li, and xian. In AD 1935 (24th year of the Republic), the Nationalist government initiated further monetary unification, designating the Shanghai Mint as the sole institution authorised to issue coinage, thereby bringing an end to the copper coin system inherited from the late Qing dynasty and ushering in the era of legal tender currency.

物件編號: A2953

年代: 公元 1912-1928 年

材質: 紅銅

尺寸: 28.5 x 28.5 x 1.3 mm

重量: 7.4 g

製造地: 江南造幣廠(南京造幣廠)

來源: 斯賓克拍賣行 2023

這是一枚由江南造幣廠所鑄，財政部於公元1912至1928年所發行之開國紀念幣，為面額十文之銅元。

銅元正面中央幣文為「十文」隸書，兩側以嘉禾及草葉簇擁。以細環及珠圈相隔，外圈上方環列英文「THE REPUBLIC OF CHINA」即國號「中華民國」，英文距幣緣馬齒較遠；兩側各以一較大的點飾相隔兩行幣文，下方環列「TEN CASH」，即「十文」。

銅元背面中央為雙旗圖，右為北洋政府時期之國旗五色旗，象徵五族共和；左為鐵血十八星旗，自武昌起義後象徵漢地十八省聯省共和。雙旗交叉，以纓相繫，有穗垂下。雙旗左右側花葉纏枝，但枝葉簡化，上方環列國號「中華民國」；下方環列「開國紀念幣」，皆為隸書。

銅元正背面幣緣均為凸環，有矩狀齒向內，稱「馬齒」。幣稜光素無紋。

光緒二十二年(公元1896年)，時任兩江總督劉坤一於南京設「江南鑄造銀元制錢總局」，開鑄銀元。於清末先後改制為「江南戶部造幣分廠」、「江南銀銅元總局」、「江蘇江寧戶部造幣分廠」、「度支部江寧造幣分廠」。民國時期，該廠更名為「江南造幣廠」，後劃歸中央稱「財政部江南造幣總廠」。民國三年(公元1914年)，更名「財政部南京造幣廠」。民國十八年(公元1929年)，南京造幣廠突發火災，廠房關閉，器械人員遷往上海。

民國元年(公元1912年)，中華民國成立，帝制終結，共和方興。政府決定發行「開國紀念幣」，藉此宣揚共和理念、穩定民心與財政，同時替代傳統中國使用的方孔圓錢，形制上接軌世界。最初由南京臨時政府主導，隨後北洋政府繼續發行。此後，由於長期政局板蕩，軍閥割據，銅元名為輔幣，實則自成體系，與銀主幣匯率隨時而升降。幣圖各地不同，工藝與銅質更是差別頗大，紀值單位亦複雜多元，有文、枚、分、釐、仙等。民國二十四年(公元1935年)，國民黨政府開始進一步統一幣制，規定僅上海鑄幣廠有鑄幣權，終結作為晚清遺緒的銅元制，進入法幣時代。