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1 Tael Bullion coinage, Changsha Chien-Yi Firm
| Issuer | Changsha Chien-Yi Firm (長沙乾益號) |
|---|---|
| Year | 1908 |
| Type | Standard circulation coin |
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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 | Log in to see details |
|---|---|
| Obverse script | Chinese |
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| Reverse description | Log in to see details |
| Reverse script | Chinese |
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| Additional information |
The Chien-Yi Firm was one of several Hunan merchant houses that issued private silver tael pieces in the early twentieth century, filling a genuine commercial gap in a province where official coinage remained inconsistent. These merchant tallies circulated primarily within trade networks rather than through general retail, functioning closer to a negotiable instrument than a coin. The Qing government never fully suppressed the practice, though it periodically tried.
Kann's numbering of this piece as 974 places it firmly in the privately-issued bullion category he documented exhaustively — not a fantasy or a pattern, but a working trade piece.