Catalog
1 Tael - Kwang-Shu
| Issuer | Qing Dynasty |
|---|---|
| Year | |
| Type | Fantasy coin |
| Value | Log in to see details |
| Currency | Log in to see details |
| Composition | Log in to see details |
| Weight | Log in to see details |
| Diameter | Log in to see details |
| Thickness | Log in to see details |
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| Technique | Log in to see details |
| Orientation | Log in to see details |
| Engraver(s) | Log in to see details |
| In circulation to | Log in to see details |
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| Obverse description | Log in to see details |
|---|---|
| Obverse script | Log in to see details |
| Obverse lettering | KWANG-SHU KUOPING ONE TAEL |
| Reverse description | Log in to see details |
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| Reverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Edge | Reeded |
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| Mintage | Log in to see details |
| Additional information |
The Kwangtung (Guangdong) provincial tael issues of the Qing period occupy an awkward administrative position: China never fully standardized its tael weight across provinces, meaning a Kwangtung tael was legally distinct in value from a Hupeh or Fengtien tael of ostensibly the same denomination. The Canton mint, reopened with British-supplied machinery in the 1880s, produced these on modern screw presses — a deliberate modernization push by Governor-General Zhang Zhidong to undercut the market dominance of the Mexican peso in southern Chinese trade.
Kwang-Shu tael coinage saw only limited adoption; merchant guilds in Guangdong largely continued settling accounts by weight rather than by coin, which kept circulation figures low.