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1 Cash - Tongzhi Tongbao; Boo-gung; privately cast
| Issuer | Qing Dynasty |
|---|---|
| Year | 1861-1875 |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | Log in to see details |
| Currency | Log in to see details |
| Composition | Log in to see details |
| Weight | Log in to see details |
| Diameter | Log in to see details |
| Thickness | Log in to see details |
| Shape | Log in to see details |
| Technique | Cast |
| Orientation | Log in to see details |
| Engraver(s) | Log in to see details |
| In circulation to | Log in to see details |
| Reference(s) | Log in to see details |
| Obverse description | Log in to see details |
|---|---|
| Obverse script | Log in to see details |
| Obverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Reverse description | Log in to see details |
| Reverse script | Log in to see details |
| Reverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Edge | Log in to see details |
| Mint | Gongchang Mint (甘肅鞏昌) |
| Mintage | ND |
| Additional information |
Privately cast cash coins represent a persistent grey market within the official Qing monetary system. The Board of Revenue and Board of Works mints held nominal monopolies on copper-alloy cash production, but enforcement was chronically inconsistent, and entrepreneurial foundries — particularly in Hunan, Guangdong, and Jiangxi — filled gaps during periods when official supply collapsed. By the Tongzhi reign, those gaps were enormous: the Taiping Rebellion had destroyed or disrupted dozens of provincial mints, and Boo-gung (the Beijing Board of Works mint) was itself operating erratically.
The brass composition here, rather than the officially mandated copper-zinc-lead alloy in fixed ratios, is a reliable indicator of private origin.