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1 Cash - Xuantong
| Issuer | Empire of China |
|---|---|
| Year | 1909 |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | Log in to see details |
| Currency | Yuan (1903-1912) |
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| Obverse description | The obverse features four large Chinese characters in traditional regular script (kaishu), arranged symmetrically around a central circular perforation. Reading top to bottom and right to left, the characters 大 (top), 銅 (right), 清 (bottom), and 幣 (left) collectively form the inscription meaning 'Great Qing copper currency.' The characters are boldly rendered in raised relief against a plain field, with the central hole bordered by a raised ring. The entire design is enclosed within a plain raised rim. |
|---|---|
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| Reverse script | Chinese (traditional, regular script) |
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| Additional information |
Xuantong — the reign name of Puyi, who ascended the throne at age two in late 1908 — lends his era name to one of the shortest-lived imperial coinage series in Chinese history. The Qing dynasty collapsed in 1912, meaning the entire Xuantong coinage spanned barely three years of production. Machine-struck cash pieces like this one were part of a broader late-Qing effort to rationalize and modernize the currency system, one that the dynasty did not survive long enough to complete.