Item number: A3474

Year: AD 1913-1917

Material: Brass

Size: 33.4 x 33.5 x 1.7 mm

Weight: 11.3 g

Manufactured by: Chongqing Mint

Provenance: Spink 2023

This is a “Sichuan Copper Coin” issued by the Great Han Sichuan Military Government and minted at its subordinate facilities in Chengdu and Chongqing. Commonly referred to as the “Han-character copper coin,” it is made of brass and has a denomination of twenty wen.

The obverse features a begonia blossom at the centre, rendered in a relatively small scale. Surrounding the central motif are the characters denoting the coin’s name, “Sichuan Copper Coin,” read from top to bottom and right to left. The character “Chuan” (川, Sichuan) is positioned higher than the rest, a layout referred to as “elevated Chuan.” A beaded circle separates the central design from the outer inscriptions. Along the upper arc is engraved “Minted by the Military Government,” while the lower arc reads “Valued at Twenty Wen.” The script on the obverse is relatively small. On both the left and right sides of the coin appears a four-petalled floral ornament. The edges of both the obverse and reverse are surrounded by a raised rim, with an inner row of square denticles, serving to protect the design and deter counterfeiting.

The reverse displays the seal script character “Han” (漢) at its centre, set against a background of fine horizontal lines. This is encircled by a thin ring, outside of which eighteen hollow circular rings are arranged around the perimeter. The space between the inner ring and the surrounding circles is filled with fine vertical lines. Along the upper outer rim is the inscription “First Year of the Republic of China,” indicating the initial year of mintage. Four-petalled floral motifs appear to the left and right of the central character, matching those on the obverse. The character “Han” symbolises both the name of the issuing authority, the “Great Han Sichuan Independent Military Government,” and the political ideal of a “Great Han Federal Empire.” Together with the surrounding eighteen rings, it forms the “Great Han Banner,” representing the unity of the eighteen Han-majority provinces in their collective resistance against Qing rule, echoing the revolutionary call to “expel the Tartar barbarians and restore China.”

The Great Han Sichuan Military Government minted a large number of Han-character copper coins to promote revolutionary ideals and to fund its operations. The alloy was modified to white brass with increased proportions of lead and tin, resulting in a typical composition of 70% copper and 30% lead or zinc. The ten-wen coin weighed approximately two qian, the twenty-wen coin about three qian, and the fifty-wen coin five qian. In AD 1912, Yin Changheng, who was overseeing Sichuan frontier defence in the Kangding region, removed thousands of copper tiles from the Golden Summit of Mount Emei and transported them to Chengdu to be melted down for coin production. In AD 1913, Governor Hu Jingyi, in an effort to suppress the Second Revolution against Yuan Shikai, minted one hundred- and two hundred-wen copper coins to fund military campaigns. Around the same time, the Chongqing Mint was reopened. In that year alone, it produced approximately 19 million ten-wen coins and 19.96 million twenty-wen coins. Thereafter, the production of these denominations sharply declined. Minting of the ten- and twenty-wen coins ceased entirely in AD 1917. Due to the chaotic state of Sichuan’s currency system, Qing copper coins, coins from other provinces, and local Sichuan issues circulated simultaneously, with varying rates of exchange and premiums. Furthermore, rampant unauthorised and counterfeit minting by various warlords continued until the system was finally reformed by the Nationalist Government in AD 1926.

In the third year of the Xuantong reign (AD 1911), the Qing court decided to nationalise the provincially and privately funded railway companies. This decision triggered widespread opposition, leading to the eruption of the Railway Protection Movement across Sichuan. In September of that year, Governor Zhao Erfeng suppressed the protests, causing the movement to escalate into armed conflict in Chengdu, where hundreds were killed or injured. On 25 September, revolutionaries in Rong County launched an uprising and established the “Rong County Military Government.” The Qing court, in response to the worsening situation, dismissed Zhao Erfeng and deployed New Army troops from Hubei to Sichuan, thereby weakening Hubei’s own defences. On 10 October, the Wuchang Uprising broke out. Revolutionary forces in various regions followed suit. On 22 November, representatives in Chengdu convened and established the “Great Han Sichuan Military Government,” appointing Pu Dianjun, leader of the Railway Protection Association, as Governor, and Yin Changheng, Assistant Commander of the New Army Training Office, as Minister of Military Affairs. Realising the futility of resistance, Zhao Erfeng relinquished his authority. Subsequently, unrest over unpaid wages led to the Chengdu Mutiny, forcing Pu Dianjun into exile. Yin Changheng quelled the mutiny and arrested Zhao Erfeng—still residing in Chengdu—on charges of conspiracy and treason. Zhao was later executed, and Yin assumed the governorship, consolidating the remaining local regimes under the name “Sichuan Military Government.”

After the provisional government of the Republic of China was established in AD 1912, Sichuan was integrated into the national administrative system as “Sichuan Province of the Republic of China.” Branches of the former “Sichuan Military Government” were gradually incorporated into the official governmental structure. However, due to Sichuan’s vast territory, poor transportation infrastructure, and the entrenched power of regional factions, central government control remained weak. That same year, due to conflicts along the Sichuan–Tibet border, Yin Changheng also assumed the role of Pacification Commissioner of the Frontier. However, being distant from Chengdu, he lost influence. In AD 1913, his former subordinate Hu Jingyi, with support from Yuan Shikai, succeeded him as Governor of Sichuan. That same year, the outbreak of the “Second Revolution” intensified divisions between north and south, plunging Sichuan’s administration into further disorder. By around AD 1914, regional warlords such as Liu Xiang, Liu Wenhui, and Yang Sen had risen to power, carving out their own territories. Sichuan then entered a prolonged period of warlord conflicts, with political instability persisting until the central government reasserted control over the southwest in the 1930s.

物件編號: A3474

年代: 公元 1913-1917 年

材質: 黃銅

尺寸: 33.4 x 33.5 x 1.7 mm

重量: 11.3 g

製造地: 重慶造幣廠

來源: 斯賓克拍賣行 2023

這是一枚大漢四川軍政府、四川軍政府轄下成都、重慶造幣廠所發行之「四川銅元」，俗稱「漢字銅元」。黃銅質，幣值二十文。

錢幣正面中央為一海棠花，花圖較小。四周分列錢名「四川銅幣」，由上至下，由右至左對讀。「川」字位置較高，稱「高川」。外以珠圈相隔，上緣環鐫「軍政府造」，下緣環鐫「當制錢二十文」。面文字體較小。錢幣左右各分飾一朵四瓣花。錢幣正背面幣緣皆為凸環，內列方齒，以作保護幣圖及防偽之用。

錢幣背面中央為一篆書「漢」字。背景以細密橫線相襯。外側以細環相隔，再環列十八空心圓圈於周圍，細環與圓圈之間空隙以細密豎線相襯。圈環外側上方環列「中華民國元年」，標註始鑄年。錢幣左右各分飾一朵四瓣花。「漢」字代表政權名稱「大漢四川獨立軍政府」，同時也代表「大漢聯邦帝國」之政治理念。而「漢」字與周圍十八圓圈，所組成的「大漢旗」，則共同代表了漢地十八省相互串聯以反抗清廷統治，「驅逐韃虜，恢復中華」的呼召。

大漢四川軍政府為宣傳革命理念，以及籌措財源，鑄造了大量漢字銅元。銅料改為白銅，且多加鉛錫，成色降為銅七鉛(鋅)三。當十文錢重二錢，當二十文錢重三錢，當五十文錢重五錢。公元1912年，在康定地區主持川邊防務的尹昌衡為籌集軍費，將峨嵋山金頂拂殿上的數千片銅瓦揭下，運至成都鑄造銅元。公元1913年，川督胡景伊為鎮壓討袁二次革命，開鑄當一百、當二百銅元以籌軍資。同時重慶造幣廠亦復開，僅公元1913年，重慶銅元局便鑄造十文銅元約1,900萬枚，二十文銅元約1,996萬枚。當十、當二十銅元此後應較少鑄造。公元1917年，停鑄當十、當二十銅元。四川錢法混亂，僅以銅元論，清代銅元、外省銅元、川造銅元一併通行，各地作價、貼水各有不同，加以各軍閥私鑄、盜鑄泛濫，直到公元1926年被國民政府徹底整頓。

宣統三年(公元1911年)，清廷決定將由地方士紳與民間出資籌辦的鐵路公司收歸國有，引發強烈反彈，四川各地迅速掀起大規模抗爭，史稱「保路運動」。同年9月，在時任總督趙爾豐彈壓下，運動升高為武裝對抗，在成都有數百人傷亡。9月25日，榮縣革命黨人率先發動起義，成立「榮縣軍政府」。清廷為鎮壓局勢，免去趙爾豐四川總督之職，並由湖北調派新軍入川。這一調動削弱了湖北防務。10月10日，武昌起義爆發。其後各地革命力量紛紛起義，成都於11月22日共議成立「大漢四川軍政府」，推舉保路同志會領袖蒲殿俊為都督，新軍教練處會辦尹昌衡任軍政部長。趙爾豐見大勢已去，移交四川軍政事務。後川軍因索餉而發動「成都兵變」，蒲殿俊逃亡，後兵變為尹昌衡所平，並以陰謀顛覆為由逮捕留居成都的趙爾豐，其後處決，尹昌衡遂繼任都督，併四川地區其餘軍政府為「四川軍政府」。公元1912年中華民國臨時政府成立後，四川被納入新政府體制，設置為「中華民國四川省」。原有「四川軍政府」各地分支亦逐漸整合至正式行政架構中。然而，因四川幅員廣大、交通閉塞，加上地方實力派盤根錯節，中央政府對省內的實際控制力有限。公元1912年，因川藏衝突，尹昌衡兼領川邊鎮撫使，卻因遠離成都而失勢。公元1913年，原所屬胡景伊，受袁世凱支持，繼任四川都督。同年「二次革命」爆發，南北矛盾加劇，四川軍政混亂不止。至公元1914年前後，地方實力派如劉湘、劉文輝、楊森等先後崛起，各自割據一方，四川遂進入長期軍閥混戰時期，政局持續動盪，直到1930年代中央政權重整西南，方漸趨穩定。