Item number: A3705

Reference number: Zhou&Li2018#HON.37、DCD#995

Year: AD 1913-1918

Material: Copper

Size: 27.9 x 27.9 x 1.4 mm

Weight: 7.4 g

Manufactured by: Honan Copper Coin Mint Bureau

Provenance: Spink 2023

This is a double-flag copper coin struck by the Honan Copper Coin Bureau, produced mainly from AD 1913 to 1918 (Years 2 to 7 of the Republic of China).

The obverse displays the vertical inscription “十文” indicating the denomination. Flanking the inscription are paired ears of wheat—jiahe—symbolising “abundant harvests to enrich the people and encouragement to pursue agriculture as the foundation”. Separating the central design from the outer rim is a beaded circle. Outside it, the upper arc reads “中華民國” (Republic of China), and the lower arc reads “河南省造” (Struck in Honan Province), both in regular-script calligraphy. Between these two lines of inscriptions is a vertical six-petalled rosette with decorative extensions on both sides. A copper flow is visible at the upper left; this is not caused by molten metal spilling over the mould in traditional casting, but rather formed during the striking process when a fragment of the die broke away, leaving a void into which the metal flowed. This phenomenon is known as a “circumferential cud”, which may occur when the die is made of uneven material, with the exterior being more brittle than the interior.

The reverse bears paired national flags at the centre. As the two flags are identical in design, the type is known as the “identical-flag” variety. Both flags are the Five-Coloured Flag used during the Beiyang Government, symbolising the “Republic of Five Races”—the Han, Manchu, Mongol, Hui, and Tibetan peoples. The flags are joined by tasselled cords; the tassels hang downwards and are relatively short, a feature termed “short tassels”. The upper rim carries the English inscription “HO-NAN”, the Wade–Giles romanisation of “河南” (Honan/Henan). The lower rim is inscribed “10 CASH”, indicating a denomination of ten wen. Floral vine motifs appear on both sides.

The mechanised minting of copper coins in Honan began in AD 1904 (Guangxu 30 of the Qing dynasty). In response to a coin shortage, the provincial governor Chen Kuilong memorialised the throne to establish a mint. Machinery was purchased from the Ferracute Machine Company of Bridgeton, New Jersey, and trial pieces of “Guangxu Yuanbao” ten-cash coins were struck in Kaifeng following Cantonese precedents. Full-scale production commenced the following year. After the establishment of the Republic, the Honan Copper Coin Bureau struck copper coins of the “Founding of the Republic” type in accordance with regulations set by the Nanjing Provisional Government. In AD 1914 (Year 3 of the Republic), the mint was placed under the authority of the Ministry of Finance and its capacity was expanded, reaching a daily output of as many as 900,000 pieces. Subsequently, during the warlord era, Zhao Ti, Feng Yuxiang, Han Fuju, Liu Zhi and others came to power in succession. In order to raise military funds, they engaged in extensive over-minting, issuing high-denomination coins valued at twenty, fifty, one hundred, and two hundred wen, repeatedly melting down small-denomination coins to strike larger ones, and even melting Buddhist statues, giving rise to so-called “Buddha-metal coins”. In AD 1933, the Honan mint was finally closed due to a lack of raw materials. Years of excessive issuance caused the currency to collapse in value; at one point a single silver dollar exchanged for eight hundred ten-cash coins. Honan thus became one of the most chaotic monetary regions in the country.

After the founding of the Republic of China, the former late-Qing Honan militia, the Yijun, was nominally placed under the leadership of the Provisional President Yuan Shikai. Its commanders included Duan Qirui of the Anhui clique, Yuan’s close associate Tian Wenlie, and later the local strongman Zhao Ti, who had risen through the ranks of the Yijun. In AD 1922, the Zhili-aligned Feng Yuxiang entered Honan and became the dominant power, instituting a series of military and administrative reforms. After the Northern Expedition in AD 1927, national unification was achieved only nominally; in practice, governance remained divided among factions. Han Fuju, aligned with Feng Yuxiang, became Chairman of the Honan Provincial Government in AD 1928, but defected to Chiang Kai-shek the following year, becoming part of the Central Army. After the Central Plains War in AD 1930, Liu Zhi succeeded him as provincial chairman, continuing the central government’s control over the province and using administrative and monetary measures to maintain fiscal stability.

物件編號: A3705

參考書目編號: Zhou&Li2018#HON.37、DCD#995

年代: 公元 1913-1918 年

材質: 銅

尺寸: 27.9 x 27.9 x 1.4 mm

重量: 7.4 g

製造地: 湖南銅元局

來源: 斯賓克拍賣行 2023

這是一枚河南銅元局所鑄之雙旗銅幣，主要鑄於民國二年至七年(公元1913-1918年)。

背面中央為豎文「十文」紀值。兩側以對生的麥穗——即嘉禾——環繞，寓意「取豐歲足民之義，垂勸農務本之規」。以環繞的珠圈相隔，外側上方為國號「中華民國」，下方為「河南省造」，均為楷書。兩行幣銘間有垂直的六瓣花分飾兩側以相隔。左上角有流銅，並非傳統工藝中銅液溢出錢範所致，而是在壓印過程中，因印模崩落使銅液於空處聚集，又稱為｢周緣裂口｣(Circumferential Cuds)，可能成因為鑄模材質不均，且外側較內側脆硬。

正面中央為雙旗圖，雙旗均同，故稱「同旗」。左右均為北洋政府時期之國旗：五色旗，象徵漢滿蒙回藏「五族共和」，旗以纓相繫，有纓穗垂下，纓穗較短，稱「短纓」。上緣環列英文紀地「HO －NAN」，即威妥瑪拼音之「河南」；下緣環列英文紀值「10 CASH」，即(制錢)「十文」; 兩側有藤蔓花飾。

河南機製銅元的鑄造始於清光緒三十年(公元1904年)，由巡撫陳夔龍因應錢荒向朝廷奏請設局鑄幣，自美國紐澤西的漢立克納浦廠(Ferracute Machine Company)購置機器，並於開封依廣東成例試鑄「光緒元寶」當十銅元，翌年正式投產。民國成立後，河南銅元局依據南京臨時政府規定鑄造「開國紀念幣」等式樣的民國銅元，民國三年(公元1914)年收歸中央財政部管轄，擴充產能，日產量高達九十萬枚。隨後在軍閥割據下，如趙倜、馮玉祥、韓復榘、劉峙等相繼掌權，為籌措軍費大規模濫鑄，先後推出當二十、五十、百文與二百文等大面額銅元，次次熔小錢以鑄大錢，甚至熔毀佛像鑄幣，衍生出「佛化錢」現象。公元1933年因原料枯竭，河南銅元局終告撤銷。長年過度發行導致幣值崩潰，一元銀元曾可兌換八百枚當十銅元，成為全國幣制最混亂地區之一。

中華民國成立後，原清末河南團練「毅軍」名義上歸於臨時大總統袁世凱領導，首長則先後由皖系段祺瑞、袁世凱心腹田文烈，以及於毅軍中嶄露頭角的地方實力人物趙倜相繼擔任。公元1922年，當時仍屬直系的馮玉祥進入河南，成為主導勢力，任內推行多項軍政改革。公元1927年北伐後，國民政府名義上實現統一，實際上仍以派系分治，馮玉祥支持的韓復榘於公元1928年任河南省政府主席，旋於公元1929年倒戈投向蔣介石，成為中央軍的一員。公元1930年中原大戰後劉峙接任河南省主席，延續中央派對地方的控制，並透過行政與貨幣政策維繫財政。