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1/4 Rupee - In the name of Guangxu, 1875-1908 'Szechuan Rupee', gold
| Issuer | Szechuan Province Mint |
|---|---|
| Year | 1905 |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Orientation | Medal alignment ↑↑ |
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|---|---|
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| Reverse description | Central field bearing four Chinese characters reading 四川省造 (Sichuan Sheng Zao, 'Made in Szechuan Province') arranged in a cruciform pattern with a floral rosette at the centre. The entire field is surrounded by an elaborate wreath of stylised lotus blossoms and scrolling foliate tendrils rendered in high relief, filling the coin to the reeded rim. The design reflects the hybrid Sino-Tibetan artistic vocabulary characteristic of this trade coinage series. |
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| Reverse lettering | 四川省造 (Translation: Si Chuan Sheng Zao - Made in Szechuan Province) |
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| Additional information |
The Szechuan Rupee was never legal tender in any conventional sense — it was struck specifically to compete with the Indian Rupee flooding across the Tibetan trade routes, where British silver had become the dominant transactional currency by the late nineteenth century. Qing authorities in Sichuan pushed for a local coinage that Tibetan merchants would accept on familiar terms, hence the rupee denomination entirely foreign to Chinese monetary tradition.
The gold version catalogued under Y#1a is exceptionally rare. Standard production ran in silver; gold strikes are generally considered patterns or presentation pieces rather than circulation issues.