Item number: A3732

Reference number: LM#676、Kann#1039

Year: AD 1878 (AH 1295)

Material: Silver

Size: 12.4 x 11.3 mm

Manufactured by: Kashgar, Xinjiang

Provenance: Fuchin Coin 2025

This is a small silver coin of the “Guangxu tian’gang” type, cast by Qing forces in AD 1878 (Guangxu 4). The coin generally weighs between 1.1 and 1.75 grams, corresponding to the denomination of “five fen,” and is slightly lighter than the Hunan-style five-fen piece, which weighs approximately 1.8 grams.

The obverse bears Old Uyghur script, read from bottom to top and from right to left as “كاشغر قيلغان” (Kashigar Kilhan), meaning “made in Kashgar.” The border consists of double rings, between which appears a repeated S-shaped ornamental motif. The design is slightly left-tilted.

The reverse carries the vertically written Chinese characters “五分” (“five fen”) at the centre. To the left is the Manchu inscription “ᡴᠠᠰᡳᡤᠠᡵ” (Kashigar), indicating the mint location of Kashgar; to the right is the Manchu “ᠸᡝᡳᠯᡝᠨᡳᠪᡳ” (weilenibi), meaning “made by.” The border matches that of the obverse, with double rings and repeated S-shaped motifs, though the design is slightly right-tilted.

Because these coins were produced entirely by hand, the dies and flans were often misaligned, resulting in omissions of inscriptions or decorative elements. Owing to the unstable circumstances and the rudimentary craftsmanship of the time, it is rare to find two examples exhibiting precisely the same die features.

During the Tongzhi reign, Xinjiang experienced severe upheaval as the Dungan Revolt spread westwards from Gansu and Shaanxi. From AD 1864 onwards, the Turkic-speaking Muslim communities of both northern and southern Xinjiang rose against Qing authority and established autonomous regimes across the oasis towns. In the following year, officers of the neighbouring Khanate of Khoqand invited Ya‘qub Beg into the region, but he soon seized control and established the “Yettishar Khanate” in southern Xinjiang. He introduced a Central Asian monetary system comprising gold tillas, silver tänggä (or tian’gang, tenga), and copper pul coins, which were readily accepted by the local Islamic population. This system followed long-standing Central Asian traditions: one tänggä roughly equalled one tael of silver in local reckoning, and fifty pul equalled one tänggä. Even during the earlier Qarakhanid period, similar silver coinage had been struck in Xinjiang, underscoring the enduring influence of Central Asian economic culture.

Burdened by the Taiping Rebellion and the Dungan Revolt, the Qing court was unable to intervene in Xinjiang until AD 1876, when Zuo Zongtang was appointed to lead the military campaign to recover the region. In May AD 1877, Ya‘qub Beg died suddenly, plunging Yettishar into internal disorder and providing Qing forces with a favourable opportunity. Zuo’s subordinate Liu Jintang advanced into southern Xinjiang and retook Yarkand in December of the same year, accelerating the reconquest of the Tarim Basin. After the recapture of Kuqa, the Qing were confronted with the urgent issue of handling the large quantities of Ya‘qub Beg’s tänggä then circulating in the marketplace.

As the tänggä had become deeply embedded in local economic practice, abrupt abolition would have disrupted commerce and provoked unrest. To stabilise the situation, Zhang Yao, the Guangdong commander assisting Zuo’s forces, recruited local silversmiths in Kuqa and produced newly cast small tänggä modelled on Ya‘qub Beg’s pieces, but bearing Chinese, Manchu, or Old Uyghur inscriptions signalling Qing sovereignty. As Aksu, Kashgar, Yarkand, Khotan, and Yingjisha were successively recovered, similar local variants of “Guangxu tian’gang” were issued, resulting in an exceptionally diverse array of hand-made coin types.

In AD 1880 (Guangxu 6), Zuo Zongtang sought to reform the silver currency system. The circulation of these transitional, hand-struck tian’gang pieces was terminated, and the Lanzhou Machine Bureau was commissioned to manufacture high-quality “one-qian fine silver” coins intended to replace the tian’gang entirely. The project was ultimately abandoned due to prohibitive costs, and the tian’gang pieces continued in circulation—despite repeated prohibitions—well into the Republican period.

物件編號: A3732

參考書目編號: LM#676、Kann#1039

年代: 公元 1878 年 (回曆 1295 年)

材質: 銀

尺寸: 12.4 x 11.3 mm

製造地: 喀什，新疆

來源: 福君錢幣 2025

這是一枚光緒四年(公元1878年)，清軍鑄行的「光緒天罡」小銀幣。重量大致落在1.1至1.75克之間，其面額為「五分」。較湘平五分(約合1.8克)重量稍低。

銀幣正面為老維吾爾文，自下而上，自右而左讀為「كاشغر قيلغان」(Kashigar kilhan)，即「喀什噶爾所造」。幣緣為雙環，環間有類似「S」形狀的重複紋飾。幣圖向左偏軸。

銀幣背面中央豎文漢字「五分」，左側為滿文「ᡴᠠᠰᡳᡤᠠᡵ」(Kashigar)，即鑄地「喀什噶爾」，右側為滿文「ᠸᡝᡳᠯᡝᠨᡳᠪᡳ」(weilenibi)，意為「由…所鑄」，幣緣為雙環，環間有類似「S」形狀的重複紋飾。幣圖向右偏軸。

由於這些錢幣以手工打製，模具和錢幣未必完全對齊，常有缺少銘文或裝飾的情形發生。由於情勢的混亂與工藝的粗糙，甚至鮮少能發現完全一致的版式。

同治年間，新疆因陝甘回變波及而局勢動盪。自同治三年(公元1864年)起，新疆的突厥語系穆斯林在南北疆各綠洲陸續起事，推翻清廷地方政權，形成割據局面。隔年，鄰近的浩罕汗國軍官阿古柏受邀入疆援助，卻旋即反客為主，於南疆建立「哲德沙爾汗國」，並引入中亞熟悉的貨幣制度，包括金質提拉、銀質天罡(tänggä，或譯騰格)與銅質普爾(pul)，迅速獲得當地伊斯蘭居民接受。其貨幣與中亞一脈相承，一天罡約折當地傳統的一兩銀，五十枚普爾折一天罡；而在更早的喀喇汗王朝時期，新疆亦曾以類似制度鑄行銀幣，可見中亞經濟文化於當地的影響力。

在太平天國與陝甘回變壓力下，清廷一度無力西顧，直到光緒二年(公元1876年)，奉命督辦新疆軍務的左宗棠開始率軍西征。光緒三年(公元1877年)五月，阿古柏暴斃，哲德沙爾汗國陷入內亂，為清軍進取提供良機。左宗棠部將劉錦棠進軍南疆，於同年十二月克復葉爾羌，使南疆收復進程快速推進。清軍先在庫車重掌政權，而在收復之初，如何處理阿古柏所鑄行的大量天罡銀幣便成為亟需面對的問題。

考慮到天罡銀幣已深植南疆市面，若貿然廢止，極易造成交易阻滯與民心不穩。為此，協助軍務的廣東提督張曜在收復庫車後，招募當地銀匠，仿照阿古柏天罡銀幣的尺寸與形式，以傳統土法打製出鑄有漢文、滿文或老維文的新式天罡小銀幣，用以回收舊幣並展示清廷對當地主權的恢復。其後阿克蘇、喀什噶爾、葉爾羌、和闐、英吉沙等地相繼平定，亦皆依樣鑄造當地版式的「光緒天罡」，使此類地方手工銀幣的版模極度多樣。

光緒六年(公元1880年)，左宗棠決定整頓銀幣制度，全面停止流通手工打製的、作為過渡的光緒天罡。其委託蘭州機器局生產錢模，以工藝精良的「足銀一錢」銀錢取代天罡銀幣，以杜絕因地方土法鑄行而延伸的品質與信譽問題。最終因不敷成本而停止製造，天罡銀幣禁之不絕，流通直至民國時期。