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1 Tael - Xianfeng Issued by Yu Sen-sheng, engraved by Feng-nien
| Issuer | Yu Sen-sheng (郁森盛號), Shanghai |
|---|---|
| Year | 1856 |
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| Value | Log in to see details |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Diameter | Log in to see details |
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| Technique | Cast |
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| Engraver(s) | Log in to see details |
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| Obverse description | Log in to see details |
|---|---|
| Obverse script | Chinese |
| Obverse lettering | 足商上咸 紋郁海豐 銀森縣六 餅盛號年 (Translation: Year 6 of Xianfeng Shanghai District Business firm of Yu Sen-sheng Cake of fine silver) |
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| Additional information |
Yu Sen-sheng (郁森盛號) was one of Shanghai's established native banks — qianzhuang — operating in the treaty port economy that had expanded rapidly after the 1842 opening of Shanghai under the Treaty of Nanking. Private silver tael pieces issued by these houses circulated on the basis of the issuer's commercial reputation rather than any state guarantee. The Xianfeng reign was an exceptionally turbulent one for Shanghai: the Small Sword Society occupied the Chinese city from 1853 to 1855, and the Taiping Rebellion was reshaping the entire Yangtze delta.
The engraver Feng-nien is named directly on the piece — an unusual specificity for a private commercial issue.