Catalog
1 Tael - Daoguang Type 2
| Issuer | Chiayi Treasury, Taiwan Province |
|---|---|
| Year | 1837-1845 |
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| Reference(s) | Kann#1b, C#25-3 |
| Obverse description | Central field dominated by a bold hammered relief portrait of Shouxing, the Chinese god of longevity, depicted as a bearded elderly sage facing slightly left, rendered in a naïve but vigorous folk style characteristic of provincial Qing coinage. The figure holds a ruyi scepter in his right hand and wears loosely draped robes, with a cartouche inscribed on his chest area. Chinese characters arranged in two vertical columns flank the central figure: to the right, the reign legend reading 道光年鑄 (Cast during the Daoguang reign), and to the left, the denomination and purity inscription 足紋銀餅 柒庫 弍平 (Pure silver coin, Kuping 7 mace 2 candareens). The entire design is enclosed within a toothed or milled border running around the coin's circumference. |
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| Obverse script | Chinese |
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| Additional information |
The Chiayi Treasury sycee-style issues emerged from a period of persistent administrative strain on Taiwan — the island's distance from Fujian province meant that metropolitan monetary policy arrived late and was enforced inconsistently. Local treasuries occasionally struck their own silver to meet garrison payroll and tax collection demands, producing types that circulated within tight geographic boundaries and rarely traveled far enough to accumulate meaningful wear.
Kann's classification separates this from the Type 1 primarily on the basis of die characteristics and punch arrangement — distinctions that remain contested among specialists working from the small surviving population.