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1/4 Rupee - In the name of Guangxu, 1875-1908 'Szechuan Rupee', silver
| Issuer | Chengdu Mint (Sichuan Province, China) |
|---|---|
| Year | 1904-1912 |
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| Currency | Rupee (1902-1942) |
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| Obverse description | Left-facing bust of the Guangxu Emperor depicted in a stylized Tibeto-Chinese artistic manner, wearing an ornate embroidered court robe and a traditional Manchu cap surmounted by a finial. The hair is braided in a queue falling behind the ear, and a beaded necklace adorns the neck. The portrait fills the majority of the coin's field with no surrounding legend, and the rim is defined by a continuous beaded border. |
|---|---|
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| Reverse lettering | 四川省造 (Translation: Si Chuan Sheng Zao — Made in Sichuan Province) |
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| Additional information |
The Szechuan Rupee series was struck specifically for trade with Tibet, where Indian rupees — primarily from Calcutta — had long dominated commerce along the mountain routes. China's decision to produce a competing rupee-denominated coinage was a direct response to British monetary influence pushing through the Himalayan passes. The Chengdu Mint began striking these pieces around 1904 under the reign title of Guangxu, though production continued past his death in 1908 and into the early Republic, which accounts for the extended date range against a Qing reign attribution.
The quarter-rupee fraction saw limited circulation compared to the full rupee, and surviving examples in any grade are notably scarcer.