Hupeh was among the first provincial mints to produce machine-struck copper cash under the Qing modernization program, and its output was enormous — the Wuchang mint ran almost continuously through this period to meet demand as brass cash collapsed in credibility. The "mountain" reverse variety, distinguishable by the small mountain symbol beneath the dragon, is understood to indicate a specific die pairing or sub-contractor arrangement, though the administrative logic behind it was never formally documented in surviving mint records.
Y#122 sits in a cluster of closely related Hupeh varieties that catalogers have revised repeatedly. The uncircled dragon distinction separates it from the commoner bordered type.
Hupeh was among the first provincial mints to produce machine-struck copper cash under the Qing modernization program, and its output was enormous — the Wuchang mint ran almost continuously through this period to meet demand as brass cash collapsed in credibility. The "mountain" reverse variety, distinguishable by the small mountain symbol beneath the dragon, is understood to indicate a specific die pairing or sub-contractor arrangement, though the administrative logic behind it was never formally documented in surviving mint records.
Y#122 sits in a cluster of closely related Hupeh varieties that catalogers have revised repeatedly. The uncircled dragon distinction separates it from the commoner bordered type.