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1 Qian Bullion coinage, Hunan Branch of The Imperial Bank
| Issuer | Imperial Bank of China, Hunan Branch |
|---|---|
| Year | 1908 |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | 1 Qian (0.1) |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Diameter | Log in to see details |
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| Obverse description | Central field occupied by six boldly incuse Chinese characters arranged in three rows of two, reading 湖大清 / 南銀行 (Hunan Branch of the Imperial Bank). The design is contained within a raised inner circle, itself surrounded by a prominent outer border of closely spaced pellets (beaded border). The field is plain with no additional ornamental devices. |
|---|---|
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| Reverse lettering | 省足壹 平紋錢 (Translation: Provincial Scale Fine Silver / 1 Qian) |
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| Additional information |
The Imperial Bank of China, established in 1897 under Sheng Xuanhuai, was the Qing dynasty's first modern state bank, but its provincial branches operated with considerable autonomy — and in some cases struck their own bullion coinage independently of the central Shanghai operation. The Hunan branch issue of 1908 falls in the dynasty's final years, when currency reform efforts were actively competing with entrenched regional monetary habits built around traditional sycee silver.
Kann 971 is among the less frequently encountered provincial bank bullion pieces. The 1908 date places it just three years before the Xinhai Revolution ended Qing rule entirely.