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10 Cash - Xianfeng Zhongbao, Ili, iron
| Issuer | Qing Dynasty Imperial Mint, Ili |
|---|---|
| Year | 1855 |
| Type | Standard circulation coin |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Diameter | Log in to see details |
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| Obverse description | Log in to see details |
|---|---|
| Obverse script | Chinese (traditional, regular script) |
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| Reverse description | Central square perforation flanked by two vertical Manchu script characters reading 'Boo-i' (denoting the Ili mint), one on each side of the hole. Above the perforation, the Chinese character 當 (Dang, meaning 'worth') is cast in raised relief, and below appears the Chinese numeral 十 (Shi, meaning 'ten'), together indicating a denomination of ten cash. The combination of Chinese and Manchu legends is characteristic of Qing Dynasty provincial coinage issued at the Ili (Yili) mint in Xinjiang. |
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| Additional information |
The Ili mint, located in what is now Xinjiang, was established to supply coinage to the remote Qing garrisons of Central Asia — a region perpetually underfunded and difficult to supply from the interior. Iron cash from Ili are among the least-documented provincial issues of the Xianfeng period, produced as copper shortages and the catastrophic drain of the Taiping Rebellion forced peripheral mints to use whatever metal was available. Most saw hard local circulation in a frontier economy with few alternatives.
Hartill 22.1088 is genuinely scarce in any condition. Iron corrodes aggressively in burial and storage, and survivors with legible casting detail are far less common than the brass and copper issues from the same mint.