Item number: A4664-2、A4664-1

Reference number: Kann#683/608a; L&M#639/865; Y#322.1

Year: AD 1915 dated

Material: Stainless Steel

The results after XRF testing (A4664-2)

The results after XRF testing (A4664-1)

Size: 38.5 x 38.5 x 30.0 mm (A4664-2), 38.5 x 38.5 x 40.2 mm (A4664-1)

Weight: 293.5 g (A4664-2), 384.75 g (A4664-1)

Provenance: Fuchin Coin 2008

These are two coining dies: an obverse die for the Year 3 of the Republic (AD 1914) Yuan Shikai one-dollar silver coin, colloquially known as the “Yuan Datou”, and a reverse die for the Hung-hsien commemorative coin, commonly designated the “Small Flying Dragon”.

The die face presents a mirror image of the struck coin. At the centre of the obverse die face is a profile bust of Yuan Shikai in bareheaded military uniform. Inscribed along the upper periphery is “中華民國三年” (Third Year of the Republic of China). Inward-pointing denticles line the inner edge of the rim, designed to safeguard the coin’s relief design against abrasive wear.

At the centre of the reverse die face is a winged Chinese dragon depicted in a striding posture. Its right foreclaw clutches a south-pointing compass, symbolising the Son of Heaven presiding towards the south, whilst its left foreclaw grasps five arrows, denoting the unification of the five traditional peoples. Inscribed along the upper margin is “中華帝國” (Empire of China), and along the lower margin, “洪憲紀元” (Hung-hsien Era). The rim is likewise lined with inward-facing denticles to protect the central devices. The needle of the south-pointing compass does not pass through the circular disc; the digits of both wings of the winged dragon penetrate the wing membrane; and the carving of the head is crude, diverging markedly from both extant specimens and illustrated catalogues.

Apart from their distinct working faces, the two dies used to strike the obverse and reverse are fundamentally identical in physical configuration, save that the shank of the obverse die is longer whereas that of the reverse is comparatively shorter. Around the outer perimeter of each die face is an annular recess termed the rim gutter or rim cavity; during coining, displaced metal flows into this recess under compressive force to form the coin’s raised protective rim. Between the perimeter of the die face and the die neck lies a minute, angled bevel or chamfer, which serves to alleviate edge stress concentration during striking and thereby minimise the risk of peripheral die chipping or cud formation. Beneath the chamfer is the die neck, a slightly constricted cylindrical section. Below the neck lies the die shoulder, which flares outwards to meet the full diameter of the die shank. The shank itself is a heavy, solid cylinder that absorbs the primary striking impact, featuring an alignment mortise or keyway channel along its side to secure and orient the die within the press.

In AD 1914 (the third year of the Republic), the Beiyang Government promulgated the National Currency Regulations, implementing a monetary reform founded upon a silver standard as a transitional measure towards an eventual gold standard. The Tientsin Mint engaged the Italian chief engraver Luigi Giorgi to design and execute the master dies, initiating the mintage of the celebrated Yuan Shikai one-dollar circulating silver coin.

In late AD 1915, Yuan Shikai sought to restore the imperial monarchy, declaring that the subsequent year would commence as the first year of the Hung-hsien era. To generate revenue and commemorate the impending enthronement ceremony, the Minister of Finance, Zhou Xuexi, in coordination with the Central Mint, actively planned the issuance of “Hung-hsien Era” gold coinage, commissioning Giorgi once again to engrave the dies. Owing to the haste of the ceremonial preparations and the considerable time required to execute a full-face bust, Giorgi retained Yuan’s profile portrait for the obverse, whilst rendering on the reverse a Western-influenced winged dragon flying leftward, circumscribed by “中華帝國” (Empire of China), “洪憲紀元” (Hung-hsien Era), and the denomination “拾圓” (Ten Dollars)—a piece known amongst numismatists as the “Small Flying Dragon” gold coin. Under official arrangements, the Central Mint struck only an exceedingly limited quantity of these ten-dollar gold coins as pattern or trial strikes, never officially sanctioning or issuing a one-dollar circulating silver coin. The sole silver coin in history bearing the Hung-hsien inscription was a local ten-cent piece clandestinely struck by the Changsha Mint—the “Hunan Hung-hsien Year 1 Chinese Silver Coin Commemorating the Founding of the Empire, One Chiao”—which was swiftly recalled and melted down upon the collapse of the imperial scheme.

Following Yuan’s abdication and demise, the flying dragon motif did not vanish, but gave rise to the famed “Big Flying Dragon” commemorative medal. According to the memoirs of Li Boqi, a senior official at the Tientsin Mint, recorded in his Study of Chinese Commemorative Coins, apprentices at the mint were practising the imitation of Giorgi’s earlier master dies in AD 1919 (the eighth year of the Republic). An apprentice named Tang executed a remarkably fine copy of the flying dragon die; Li Boqi consequently instructed that the “Ten Dollars” denomination be ground off and that this modified die be paired with an old obverse die from Giorgi’s AD 1912 “Republic of China Commemorative Coin” (depicting Yuan Shikai in full military uniform wearing a plumed hat). Approximately one hundred silver medals were struck for presentation to dignitaries and friends as internal mint novelties or whimsies. Following Li’s departure from the mint, the dies were compromised; subsequent personnel not only struck further unauthorised specimens in silver, but also restruck them in debased 60 per cent gold for commercial profit. In AD 1921, the prominent American coin dealer Henry Chapman acquired the dies and commissioned the United States Mint at Philadelphia to strike 25 gold and 50 silver examples. Through successive recutting and copying by various engravers, numerous distinct varieties emerged, including the “Sky-Touching Plume” variety—characterised by hat plumes extending to the coin’s border—as well as scarce designer-signed strikings.

Were coins to be struck from the present pair of dies, the result would be an anomalous mule pairing the AD 1914 “Third Year of the Republic” portrait of the standard circulating dollar with the un-denominated flying dragon reverse of the AD 1915 “Empire of China, Hung-hsien Era”, which heralded the restoration of the monarchy. Historically, whilst the official pattern “Small Flying Dragon” gold coins featured a profile portrait, their obverse bore no regnal or calendar inscription whatever, and the reverse retained the ten-dollar denomination. Extant “Big Flying Dragon” gold and silver medals, by contrast, consistently employ the full-dress facing portrait in a plumed hat. Had this pairing originated as an authentic mint novelty, the inscription “中華民國” (Republic of China) would at the very least have been excised to avoid such an overt political contradiction.

物件編號: A4664-2、A4664-1

參考書目編號: Kann#646/1515; L&M#63942; Y#322.1

年代: 標示為公元 1915 年

材質: 不鏽鋼

XRF分析結果(A4664-2)

XRF分析結果(A4664-1)

尺寸: 38.5 x 38.5 x 30.0 mm (A4664-2), 38.5 x 38.5 x 40.2 mm (A4664-1)

重量: 293.5 g (A4664-2), 384.75 g (A4664-1)

來源: 福君錢幣 2008

這是兩件模具，正面為俗稱「袁大頭」的民國三年袁像一圓銀幣，背面為俗稱「小飛龍」的洪憲紀念金銀幣。

模面為該幣成品的鏡像。錢幣正面模面中央為袁世凱側面像，身著免冠戎裝。上緣環列「中華民國三年」。幣緣有細齒向內，作保護幣圖之用。

錢幣背面模面中央為飛龍，為一條有翼的中國龍，作行走狀。右前爪握著定南針（指南針），寓意天子坐北朝南；左前爪握著五支箭矢，寓意五族一統。上緣環列「中華帝國」；下緣環列「洪憲紀元」。幣緣有細齒向內，作保護幣圖之用。定南針指針未穿過圓盤；飛龍雙翅各指骨貫穿翼膜；頭部雕刻粗糙，與傳世與圖錄均相差甚遠。

壓印正背面的兩個模具，形制除模面外基本一致，唯正面模具模身較長，背面模具模身較短。其模面外緣均有一圈凹溝，稱為緣槽（Rim Gutter / Rim Cavity），金屬受擠壓流入此溝槽後，形成錢幣外側凸起的保護邊環（Rim）。模面邊緣延伸至模頸之間，有一的微小的傾角削面，稱為倒角（Bevel / Chamfer），有助於在壓印時降低邊緣應力集中，減少邊緣崩裂（Cud）的風險。模頸則位於倒角下方，為稍作收窄或延伸的短圓柱段。模頸下方為模肩，稍微傾斜並擴增至模身的寬度。模身則為厚重的圓柱，為承受衝擊的主體，側邊則有凹槽，提供固定於機械上的榫卯結構。

民國三年（1914年）北洋政府頒布《國幣條例》，推行以銀本位為主、預備過渡至金本位的幣制改革。當時天津造幣總廠聘請義大利籍首席雕刻師路易吉·喬治（Luigi Giorgi）操刀設計，開鑄了著名的袁世凱像壹圓流通銀幣，俗稱「袁大頭」。

公元1915年底袁世凱圖謀復辟帝制，改次年為洪憲元年。為籌措款項與配合登基大典，財政總長周學熙與造幣總廠積極規劃發行「洪憲紀元」金幣，同樣由喬治負責雕模。由於大典籌備倉促，原擬雕造的正面像耗時難成，喬治遂沿用袁氏五分側面像作為金幣正面，背面則鐫刻一條振翅左向的西方風格飛龍，外圈鐫「中華帝國」、「洪憲紀元」與面額「拾圓」，此即泉界俗稱的「小飛龍金幣」。在官方規劃中，中央造幣總廠當時僅試鑄了極少量的飛龍拾圓金幣，並未正式發行流通性質的一圓銀幣；歷史上唯一銘有洪憲紀元的銀圓，僅有長沙造幣廠在地方上私鑄、旋即隨帝制撤銷而收回銷毀的「湖南洪憲元年中華銀幣開國紀念壹角」。

袁氏退位亡故後，飛龍圖案並未就此絕跡，反而衍生出著名的「大飛龍」紀念章。據前天津造幣廠高管李伯琦在《中國紀念幣考》中記載，民國八年（公元1919年）總廠雕刻學徒在練習摹刻喬治前作時，學徒唐某摹刻的飛龍模極為精湛，李伯琦便命其磨去「拾圓」字樣，並取民國元年喬治所刻的「中華民國共和紀念幣」（袁世凱著大元帥服、頭戴高冠鷺羽的正面像）舊模合印，打製約百枚銀質章分贈要人與友人，作為造幣廠內部的「戲作」之物。不料李伯琦離職後模具流失，後人不僅私印加鑄，更以六成金仿打牟利；公元1921年，美國知名幣商亨利·查普曼甚至取得原模，委託美國費城造幣廠代製了25枚大飛龍金章與50枚銀章。在流傳過程中，因多名雕刻師翻摹修模，還陸續演化出羽毛觸及幣緣的「沖天冠版」以及雕刻師簽名版等諸多版別。

若以此組模具鑄幣，則將使標準流通幣公元1914年的「民國三年」袁像幣，與公元1915年宣示恢復帝制的「中華帝國洪憲紀元」無面額飛龍背混搭在一起。歷史上官方試鑄的「小飛龍金幣」雖為側面像，但正面並無任何紀年文字且帶有拾圓面額；而傳世的「大飛龍金銀章」則配搭戴軍禮帽的正面戎裝像。若為造幣廠戲作，則應至少去除「中華民國」字樣。