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1 Yuan - Guangxu Pattern, aluminium
| Issuer | Fengtien Province |
|---|---|
| Year | 1902 |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | Log in to see details |
| Currency | Log in to see details |
| Composition | Aluminium |
| Weight | Log in to see details |
| Diameter | Log in to see details |
| Thickness | Log in to see details |
| Shape | Log in to see details |
| 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 | Chinese, Mongolian / Manchu |
| Obverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Reverse description | A sinuous five-clawed imperial dragon is depicted in high relief at centre, coiling dynamically around a flaming pearl, with scaled body, horned head facing forward, and clawed feet visible. Decorative cloud or floral rosette elements appear at the left and right of the field. The circumferential English legend reads "FENG-TIEN PROVINCE" along the upper arc and "7 MACE AND 2 CANDAREENS" along the lower arc, separated by the flanking ornaments. A beaded border encircles the entire design, consistent with the standard Fengtien dragon dollar type. |
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| Additional information |
Fengtien's 1902 aluminium pattern issues were experimental strikes almost certainly connected to the broader push by provincial mints to modernize coinage infrastructure in the final decade of Qing rule. Aluminium was being evaluated by several Chinese mints around this period as a cheaper alternative to silver and copper for subsidiary or token coinage — a conversation happening simultaneously in Europe and Japan. Whether this piece was struck at the Fengtien Arsenal mint or sent abroad for trial production remains a matter of collector debate.
Patterns of this type rarely escaped official hands, which accounts for their extreme rarity today.