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1500 Cash Da-Qing Baochao
| Issuer | Da-Qing Baochao (Board of Revenue, Qing Dynasty) |
|---|---|
| Year | 1854-1864 |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | 1500 Cash |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Obverse description | Log in to see details |
|---|---|
| Obverse lettering | 大清寶鈔 準足制錢壹千伍百文 咸豐年製 帳字第六千六十五號 此鈔即代制錢行用凡收納一切稅課地丁錢糧各項概准搭收外鈔一項按成抵用如有偽造即行嚴拿究治決不姑寬 |
| Reverse description | The reverse is largely plain cream paper bearing a variety of handwritten Chinese notations and brushed characters in black ink, including what appear to be circulation endorsements or official annotations. Several red and black square seal impressions are distributed across the surface, with additional handwritten script in the upper corners and centre, consistent with period administrative handling marks applied during the note's circulation. |
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| Comments |
The Da-Qing Baochao cash notes were issued beginning in 1854 as the Qing government scrambled to finance suppression of the Taiping Rebellion — one of the deadliest civil conflicts in recorded history. The Board of Revenue had little choice: silver reserves were exhausted, copper cash was being hoarded, and the dynasty needed liquidity fast. These notes were essentially forced into circulation, backed by little more than imperial decree.
Public trust was negligible from the start. Contemporary accounts describe widespread refusal by merchants, and exchange rates against copper cash collapsed almost immediately after issue. The series was formally discontinued by 1864, leaving enormous quantities unredeemed.
Surviving examples frequently show the red official seals in varying states of impression — inconsistent stamping was endemic across the run.