Item number: A4665-2、A4665-1

Reference number: XM#68; Kann#B34/1120; L&M#744

Year: AD 1907 dated

Material: Stainless Steel

The results after XRF testing (A4665-2)

The results after XRF testing (A4665-1)

Size: 38.5 x 38.5 x 30.0 mm (A4665-2), 38.5 x 38.5 x 40.2 mm (A4665-1)

Weight: 293.5 g (A4665-2), 384.75 g (A4665-1)

Provenance: Fuchin Coin 2008

These objects comprise a pair of coining dies: the obverse die face bears the design corresponding to the obverse of the ‘Dingwei Double Dragon Shou Character One Tael Guangxu Silver Coin’, whilst the reverse die face displays the dragon motif from the reverse of the ‘Kashgar Circuit Da Qing Silver Coin, Xiangping One Tael’.

The engraving on the die face is a mirror image of the struck coin. At the centre of the obverse die face, the four characters Guangxu Yinbi (Guangxu Silver Coin) are inscribed in regular script (kaishu). Separated by an inner concentric linear circle, two stylised archaic dragons flank the central inscription; where the dragon heads face one another, a shou (longevity) character medallion is situated, whilst an abstract bat motif occupies the space where their tails converge. Each dragon’s body is inscribed with a single Chinese character, which together form the cyclical sexagenary date Dingwei, corresponding to AD 1907. Inward-pointing denticles border the rim to protect the coin’s relief. This design is widely reputed to have been a fantasy concoction produced in the AD 1930s by Ping Yulin of the Qilin Numismatic Society in Shanghai, though it remains uncertain whether he had access to an earlier prototype when executing the die. Popular hearsay asserts that the coin was struck as a celebratory tribute to Empress Dowager Cixi and the Guangxu Emperor, yet no corroborating historical documentation exists to date. Two principal reverses are documented for coins bearing this obverse: one featuring the denomination Yi Liang (One Tael) flanked by paired dragons, and another depicting an interlocking Taiji Bagua (Yin-Yang and Eight Trigrams) design encircled by dragons. The dragons on this particular obverse die exhibit slightly upturned lower jaws, aligning more closely with the variety paired with the Taiji Bagua reverse; nevertheless, the calligraphic strokes appear markedly coarser, and the shou character remains noticeably askew.

At the centre of the reverse die face sits a coiled dragon (tuanlong) writhing amidst auspicious clouds and spitting a flaming pearl. Separated by a beaded border, the motif is flanked by a Western-style wreath; the left spray displays opposite leaves and floral elements reminiscent of asafoetida, whilst the right spray represents a cotton bough. The apex where the sprays converge features an eleven-pointed star bearing a central pellet. The perimeter is likewise fitted with inward-pointing denticles to protect the coin design. On the original historical issue, the corresponding obverse bore the legend ‘Kashgar Circuit Da Qing Silver Coin, Xiangping One Tael’ (Kashgar Dao Da Qing Yinbi Xiangping Yi Liang). The execution of this reverse die variant, however, features splayed, unrefined dragon claws and omits numerous auspicious clouds; furthermore, the contours separating the dragon’s body from its dorsal fin lack incised demarcation, the scales are crudely rendered, and the eleven-pointed star—which ought properly to assume the form of a multi-petalled chrysanthemum-like rosette—deviates substantially from both extant historical specimens and standard numismatic catalogues.

Apart from their working surfaces, the two coining dies share fundamentally identical physical structures, with the sole exception that the obverse die possesses a longer shank, whereas the reverse die is shorter. The outer perimeter of each die face incorporates a recessed annular groove designated as the rim gutter or rim cavity; during striking, displaced metal is forced into this recess to form the coin’s raised protective rim. Between the edge of the die face and the die neck lies a subtle chamfered facet, or bevel, which serves to mitigate edge stress concentration during striking and diminishes the hazard of rim chipping or cud formation. Beneath this chamfer sits the die neck, a short, slightly narrowed cylindrical segment. Below the neck, the die shoulder slopes outwards to meet the full diameter of the die shank. The shank itself forms a robust, heavy cylindrical body designed to withstand severe striking impact, while longitudinal keyways or notches grooved into its lateral surface provide a mortise-and-tenon mechanical lock for mounting into the coining press.

Ping Yulin, a native of Nanjing, was a prominent numismatic dealer in old Shanghai during the Republican era. Operating from his residence on Rue Paul Beau (now South Huangpi Road) in the French Concession as an initial base of operations, he had traded in coins since the AD 1920s. In his early years, he commissioned Li Zhongqing, a former die-engraver at the Fujian Mint, among others, to cut dies and manufacture comparatively crude fantasy pieces—including diverse dragon-and-horse designs and spurious Soviet issues—which were sold cheaply to foreign collectors. In AD 1940, Ping partnered with his fellow provincial and eminent connoisseur of ancient coins, Yang Chengqi, to establish the Qilin Numismatic Society (Qilin Quanbi She) in the antique market at No. 226 Fifth Avenue (now Guangdong Road). When the Shanghai Numismatic Society (Zhongguo Quanbi Xueshe) was founded in July of the same year, Ping joined as an active member, serving alongside Yang as an executive officer and regularly attending society gatherings; the Qilin Numismatic Society not only donated to the society’s publications fund and placed full-page acquisition advertisements, but also acted as the consignment agency for the journal Quanbi for two consecutive years. Lured by immense profits amidst the prevailing collector frenzy for machine-struck coins, Ping purchased decommissioned minting machinery, colluded illicitly with employees of the Nanjing Mint, and had Li Zhongqing engrave refined steel dies to execute sophisticated counterfeits of celebrated rarities. These were sold to major Chinese and foreign numismatists, including Eduard Kann, H. E. Gibson, Raeburn, and Qin Ziwei. Following the Japanese occupation of the International Settlement in December AD 1941, the market fell into severe depression, exacerbating business friction and ethical disputes between Ping and Yang; consequently, the Qilin Numismatic Society was forced to close between September and November AD 1942. Subsequently, Yang disclosed the details of Ping’s illicit operations among their fellow society members. An outraged Kann, having fallen victim to the deception, reported Ping to the Japanese gendarmerie (Kempeitai), leading to his arrest. Afflicted with severe opium addiction, Ping eventually died of illness in prison. These deceptive pieces, fabricated with genuine mint-grade coining technology, were later fully exposed through Yang’s warnings and the formal confessions of Li Zhongqing and others during the AD 1950s, evolving over time into highly sought-after ‘vintage forgeries’ (laojia) among certain collectors.

From the Tongzhi reign to the early years of the Guangxu era, Imperial Commissioner Zuo Zongtang led the Hunan Army into Xinjiang to quell the revolt of Yakub Beg. Accompanying this military campaign was the establishment of the Hunan Xiangping tael (equivalent to approximately 36.13 grams per tael) as the standard unit of silver mass, which became deeply entrenched across Xinjiang, supplanting the central Board of Revenue’s Kuping standard and becoming the hallmark of subsequent Xinjiang gold and silver coinage. In the eighteenth year of the Guangxu reign (AD 1892), Li Zongbin, the Intendant of the Kashgar Circuit, sanctioned a petition from Shufu County to trial-strike Guangxu Yinyuan (Guangxu silver coins), inaugurating local silver minting in Kashgar. However, while the obverses of these early Kashgar issues incorporated Chinese characters, their reverses adhered entirely to Central Asian Islamic geometric and floral ornamentation, devoid of the imperial dragon iconography that symbolised Qing sovereignty.

In the thirty-first year of the Guangxu reign (AD 1905), inspired by Zhang Zhidong’s pioneering introduction of Western machinery in Guangdong to mint Guangxu Yuanbao ‘dragon dollars’—a practice rapidly emulated across inner provincial mints—the Kashgar Silver Coinage Bureau produced its own local variant of the Guangxu Yuanbao. It was precisely on this issue that the Kashgar bureau discarded the Islamic-style floral patterns it had employed for over a decade in favour of the coiled dragon motif characteristic of inner provincial silver dollars, marking the inception of Xinjiang Kashgar coinage directly emulating the design grammar of mainland dragon dollars.

In the thirty-second year of the Guangxu reign (AD 1906), the Qing Board of Revenue designated silver coinage as the monetary standard and initiated the striking of Da Qing Yinbi (Imperial Silver Coins). In the following year, the thirty-third year of Guangxu (AD 1907, corresponding to AH 1325), the Kashgar Silver Coinage Bureau complied with these central regulations by issuing a Xinjiang variant of the Da Qing Yinbi, resulting in the exceptionally rare ‘Kashgar Circuit Da Qing Silver Coin, Xiangping One Tael’ (Kashgar Dao Da Qing Yinbi Xiangping Yi Liang). Following the formal establishment of Xinjiang as a province, the territory was divided into four circuits (dao): Zhendi, Aksu, Kashgar, and Yita. The Kashgar Circuit, administering jurisdictions including Yingjisha, Shule, and Shache, was a frontier circuit-level organ wielding consolidated military, administrative, and fiscal authority. Consequently, this coin holds the singular distinction in modern Chinese numismatic history of being the only official legal-tender silver coin issued under the explicit title of an intendant’s circuit administration (dao). Struck with traditional manually operated machinery in accordance with Kashgar practice, specimens universally exhibit irregular striking pressure, uneven planchet thickness, and erratic relief depth.

Were a coin to be struck from this mismatched pair of dies, its obverse and reverse would present a striking aesthetic and contextual disparity: the obverse represents an unverified fantasy piece which, notwithstanding its disputed status, derives its stylistic vocabulary from central court mintages and carries an overtly commemorative, imperial birthday-tribute character; the reverse, by contrast, originates from a remote frontier province, reflecting the rugged, manually struck aesthetic of an everyday circulating medium.

物件編號: A4665-2、A4665-1

參考書目編號: XM#68; Kann#B34/1120; L&M#744

年代: 標示為公元 1907 年

材質: 不鏽鋼

XRF分析結果(A4665-2)

XRF分析結果(A4665-1)

尺寸: 38.5 x 38.5 x 30.0 mm (A4665-2), 38.5 x 38.5 x 40.2 mm (A4665-1)

重量: 293.5 g (A4665-2), 384.75 g (A4665-1)

來源: 福君錢幣 2008

這是兩件模具，正面模具模面為「丁未雙龍壽字一兩光緒銀幣」的正面；背面為「喀什道大清銀幣湘平弌兩」的背面龍圖。

模面為該幣成品的鏡像。錢幣正面模面中央為楷書「光緒銀幣」。以環相隔，兩側各有一條抽象古龍，龍首相對之處有一「壽」字紋；龍尾相對之處有一抽象的蝙蝠圖紋。二龍龍身處各有一字，合為干支「丁未」，即公元1907年。幣緣有細齒向內，作保護幣圖之用。該幣圖據稱為上海麒麟泉幣社的平玉麟於公元1930年代所臆造，未知其製模時是否有所本。坊間傳稱該幣為為慈禧及光緒帝獻禮所製，但暫未有史料證明。原幣背面主要出現兩種：一為雙龍簇擁的「一两」；二為雙龍互逐盤繞的太極八卦。此正面版式之雙龍下頜微抬，更接近背圖為太極八卦者，然而筆劃較粗，壽字紋歪斜。

錢幣背面模面中央為團龍，為一條龍盤捲於雲中，吞吐焰珠。以珠圈相隔，兩側環繞西式的葉冠，左側為一對生花葉枝條，像是阿魏，右側為棉花枝條。枝條尖端為十一芒星，中有一圓點。幣緣有細齒向內，作保護幣圖之用。原幣正面為「喀什道大清銀幣湘平弌兩」。此背面版式龍爪箕張，多處祥雲省略，龍身與背鰭間未以線勾勒輪廓，龍鱗粗糙，十一芒星本應作菊花般的多半花飾，與傳世實物、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。

平玉麟為南京籍人，是民國時期舊上海著名的錢幣商。他自公元1920年代起便以法租界貝勒路寓所為聯絡點經營錢幣，早年委託曾任職於福建造幣廠的雕模師李仲清等人刻模，製作各式龍馬圖、蘇維埃等工藝較粗的臆造幣低價售予外國玩家；公元1940年他與同鄉兼古錢名家楊成麒在上海五馬路（今廣東路）226號古玩市場內合夥開設「麒麟泉幣社」，同年7月上海泉幣學社成立時平氏亦加入並與楊成麒同任學社幹事、頻繁出席學社例會，麒麟泉幣社除捐助學社基金、刊登整版收購廣告外，還曾連續兩年擔任《泉幣》雜誌的寄售處；然而在機鑄幣收藏狂熱的暴利誘惑下，平玉麟購置原造幣廠報廢軋印機，暗通南京造幣廠內部並由李仲清精雕鋼模，並高精仿造各泉珍，陸續售予耿愛德（Eduard Kann）、裘畢勝（H. E. Gibson）、雷伯恩、秦子帷等中外收藏巨擘；公元1941年12月日軍進駐公共租界後市場急遽蕭條，平、楊二人因經營矛盾與造假分歧日深，麒麟泉幣社終在公元1942年9月至11月間被迫停業，事後楊成麒在泉幣學社同仁間揭發平氏造假內幕，受騙的耿愛德憤而向日本憲兵隊告發致平氏被捕，平玉麟最終因身染嚴重鴉片煙癮而瘐死囹圄；這批具造幣廠級壓鑄工藝的偽品後經楊成麒生前示警及公元1950年代李仲清等人交代而徹底水落石出，成為部分藏家追捧的「老假」錢幣。

同治至光緒初年，欽差大臣左宗棠率湘軍入疆平定阿古柏之亂，隨軍確立了以湖南「湘平」（每兩約36.13克）為計重單位的白銀稱量標準，此一衡制自此深植新疆，取代內地戶部的庫平，成為日後新疆金銀幣鑄造的核心特色。到了光緒十八年（公元1892年），喀什道李宗賓准疏附縣之請試造「光緒銀圓」，奠定了喀什自鑄銀幣的開端，但此時喀什鑄幣正面雖帶漢文，背面仍全盤沿用中亞伊斯蘭風格的幾何與圖文花飾，尚未出現象徵大清皇權的龍紋圖案。

光緒三十一年（公元1905年），受張之洞在廣東引進西方機器鑄造「光緒元寶」龍洋的風潮的影響，內地各省群起仿效，喀什銀圓局也鑄造了喀什版的光緒元寶。正是在這批光緒元寶上，喀什銀圓局首次揚棄了十餘年來慣用的伊斯蘭風格圖文花飾，改採內地龍洋背面的蟠龍圖紋，成為新疆喀什銀幣「仿效內地龍洋形制」的開端。

光緒三十二年（公元1906年），清廷戶部議定銀幣為本位貨幣，開鑄大清銀幣。喀什銀圓局於次年光緒三十三年（公元1907年，即伊曆1325年）響應中央新規，鑄行新疆版的大清銀幣，由此誕生了罕見的「喀什道大清銀幣湘平弌兩」。新疆建省後分設鎮迪、阿克蘇、喀什、伊塔四道，「喀什道」轄有英吉沙、疏勒、莎車等府縣，是清代邊疆集軍事、政治與財政於一體的道級行政機構，該錢幣成為中國近代貨幣史上唯一正式以「道」署行政機關名義發行的法定銀幣。該幣因循喀什傳統，以手工機具打製，普遍存在壓力不均、幣面厚度不一與字口深淺各異的特徵。

若以此組模具鑄幣，則錢幣正背面風格迥異：一者為臆造，就算其真偽未定，但風格仍源於中央鑄幣，且有祝壽、紀念的性質；另一者則來源於邊省，為手工打製，風格粗獷的行用錢。