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2 Jiao - Guangxu Kirin type
| Issuer | Kirin Mint, Empire of China |
|---|---|
| Year | 1909 |
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| Value | Log in to see details |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
| Weight | 5.10 g |
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| Thickness | Log in to see details |
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| Obverse description | Log in to see details |
|---|---|
| Obverse script | Chinese, Manchu |
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| Reverse description | Central field depicts a five-clawed Imperial dragon rendered in high relief, shown in profile facing upward with wings spread and sinuous body coiling dynamically across the field, surrounded by stylized cloud and wave motifs. A beaded inner circle separates the dragon from the surrounding bilingual legend. The outer legend comprises Chinese characters reading 'Xuantong Nian Zao' (宣統年造, 'Made in the Xuantong Year') at the top, flanked by the romanized legend 'TAI-CHING-TI-KUO SILVER COIN' arranged around the lower periphery in Latin script. The overall engraving style is characteristic of the late Qing machine-struck coinage produced at provincial branch mints. |
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| Additional information |
The Kirin Mint operated in Manchuria's Jilin province, and its output reflects the administrative fragility of the Qing dynasty's final decade. By 1909, the dynasty was two years from collapse, and provincial mints across China were producing silver coinage with little central coordination — weights, fineness, and designs varied significantly between issues, undermining the monetary unification the Qing court had been attempting since the 1890s.
The .820 fineness is notably lower than the .890 standard adopted by most other provincial mints, a discrepancy that generated complaints from merchants and helped fuel distrust of Kirin silver generally.