Item number: A4679

Reference number: Lin#799

Year: AD 1905 (AH 1323)

Material: Silver

Size: 25.0 x 25.0 mm

Manufactured by: Dihua Bureau Mint

Provenance: Fuchin Coin 2026

This is a Guangxu silver coin with a denomination of three mace, struck by the Dihua Mint in Xinjiang in AD 1905 (Guangxu 31). Its distinctive design and inscriptions differ markedly from contemporary Chinese dragon dollars and the Guangxu Yuanbao issues produced in Kashgar.

The obverse bears only Chinese inscriptions, without any additional decoration. Reading from right to left , they are “迪化” (Dihua), “光緒銀圓” (Guangxu Silver Coin), and “參錢” (Three Mace).

The reverse consists of inscriptions in Chagatai and Persian numerals, surrounded by a six-petalled flower (eleven petals on some varieties) and seven five-petalled flowers. The edge features a denticled border modelled after those found on foreign machine-struck silver coins.

The central inscription on the reverse is written in Old Uyghur (also known as Chagatai) and is read from bottom to top and from right to left. At the bottom is “ضرب” (zarb), meaning “struck at”, followed above by “اورمچى” (Ürümqi), referring to Urumqi, then officially known in Chinese as Dihua. At the centre left is “ئۈچ” (uch), meaning “three”, while “مىشقال” (mishkal) is positioned at the upper right. The Persian numerals “۱۳۲۳” (1323) are placed in the space between the upper inscriptions, indicating AH 1323, corresponding approximately to AD 1905.

In January AD 1865, forces led by Yaqub Beg of the Khanate of Kokand entered southern Xinjiang and established a regime centred on Kashgar, known as the Yettishar Khanate, or the Hongfu Khanate, temporarily disrupting local coin production. Zuo Zongtang later led the Xiang Army and other local forces in a campaign to recover the region, which began in AD 1876.

Even before the entire region had been recovered, Zuo had already authorised the trial striking of silver coins bearing the name “Xinjiang” in Lanzhou, Gansu, with the aim of raising military funds, withdrawing older silver coins from circulation, and strengthening control over the local economy. Following the pacification of the Muslim regions of southern Xinjiang, he submitted a memorial to the throne stating that the tiangang—silver coins introduced under Yaqub Beg, disc-shaped and without a central square hole—did not conform to established coinage forms and varied considerably in fineness. He therefore proposed reforming the silver coinage to stabilise market prices.

In AD 1892 (Guangxu 18), silver coins were introduced in Kashgar to address the circulation of currency of inconsistent quality, which had left the local population vulnerable to fraud. The following year, Aksu became the first region to follow this model, although production ceased two years later, making its issues the scarcest. In AD 1903 (Guangxu 29), the Governor of Xinjiang initiated similar coinage at Dihua, following the earlier examples of Kashgar and Aksu. Three denominations were produced: five mace, three mace, and two mace, while the smallest denomination of one mace was omitted. Four years later, the adoption of modern minting machinery brought the production of these silver coins to an end.

China’s transition to modern machine-struck coinage was prompted by two major shortcomings of traditional minting methods: inconsistent coin quality and high production costs. Throughout Chinese history, even copper coins cast in the same batch could vary in shape, weight, and metal composition. Although the traditional mould-casting method involved relatively simple procedures, the low intrinsic value of copper coins meant that minting expenses represented a substantial proportion of their value. Consequently, production was frequently suspended when the cost of manufacture became too high.

物件編號: A4679

參考書目編號: Lin #799

年代: 公元 1905年 (回曆 1323年)

材質: 銀

尺寸: 25.0 x 25.0 mm

製造地: 迪化鑄造局

來源: 福君錢幣 2026

這是一枚清光緒三十一年由新疆迪化鑄造局所造的光緒銀圓參錢。此幣圖文風格獨樹一幟，與同時期中國本地的龍洋及喀什仿造的光緒元寶有明顯相異之處。

錢幣正面唯有漢字，無其他裝飾。由右至左是「迪化」、「光緒銀圓」和「參錢」字樣。背面由察合台文及阿拉伯數字組成，有一朵六瓣花(部分版型為十一瓣)及七朵五瓣花環繞在周圍，邊緣鑄有一圈仿國外機制銀圓的齒痕。

背面中央幣銘為老維吾爾文(或稱察合台文)，自下而上，自右而左依序讀，最下方為「ضرب 」(zarb)，即「鑄於…」，其上方兩行，由下至上為「اورمچى」(Ürümqi)，即「烏魯木齊」，舊稱「迪化」。左中方為「ئۈچ」(uch)，即「三」，右上方為「مىشقال」(mishkal)上方幣銘間隙有「۱۳۲۳」，即回曆1323年，約公元1905年。

公元1865年1月浩罕汗國阿古柏部入據南疆，在喀什噶爾建立「哲德沙爾汗國」或稱「洪福汗國」，導致當地鑄幣一度中斷。後由左宗棠率湘軍等團練，在公元1876年平定。尚未完全收復全境之前，他已在甘肅蘭州以「新疆」名義試鑄銀幣，此舉是為了籌措軍費、回收舊銀幣及掌控當地經濟。待左公平定回疆後，上奏稱天罡(阿古柏所創之銀錢，外型如圓餅且中間無方孔) 不似錢幣，且成色不一，當改造銀錢來平市價。

公元1892年(光緒十八年)因新疆喀什地區貨幣優劣不一，民眾易受騙，故鑄造銀元以便民用。隔年，阿克蘇地區便首先仿之，兩年後停鑄，故此幣數量最少。公元1903年(光緒二十九年)新疆巡撫於迪化，仿前二者為例，分鑄伍錢、三錢及二錢，不仿最小一錢。直到四年後，改使用近代機器，所以該銀圓就停鑄了。

關於中國改用近代機器鑄幣的緣由是傳統方式的作法有兩種缺點：錢幣品質的參差不齊及費用高昂。中國歷代的銅錢，在形式、重量和成色上即便是同一爐所出，亦有差異性；鑄造費方面，中國使用範鑄法而手續較簡單，但銅錢本身價值小，鑄造比重顯得大，過去常因其成本高，故停鑄。