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1 Cash - Tongzhi Tongbao, Boo-tai, privately cast
| Issuer | Empire of China |
|---|---|
| Year | 1862-1874 |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Diameter | 21 mm |
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| Obverse description | Central square hole surrounded by four Chinese characters arranged in the traditional cross pattern, read top-to-bottom and right-to-left. The reign title inscription 同治通寶 (Tongzhi Tongbao) appears in regular script (kaishu), with 同 at top, 治 at bottom, 通 at right, and 寶 at left. The characters are rendered in a somewhat irregular, coarsely cast style consistent with privately produced (szu-zhu) issues. The flat field shows visible casting texture and surface roughness typical of unofficial privately cast cash coins of the Tongzhi period. |
|---|---|
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| Mintage | ND (1862-1874) |
| Additional information |
Privately cast cash coins from the Tongzhi reign occupy an awkward historiographic position — technically illegal under Qing imperial minting regulations, yet tolerated in practice because the Board of Revenue mints were chronically unable to meet demand. The Taiping Rebellion had devastated the lower Yangtze economy and disrupted official copper supplies through the 1860s, creating shortages that private foundries quietly filled. Boo-tai, the Manchu designation for the Taiyuan mint in Shanxi, was itself an intermittent operation, which only widened the gap.
Hartill 22.1170 distinguishes these privately cast pieces by characteristically irregular casting seams and variable brass alloy composition — details invisible in the catalog photo but apparent in hand.