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| Issuer | Empire of China |
|---|---|
| Year | 1908 |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | Log in to see details |
| Currency | Yuan (1903-1912) |
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| Obverse description | The obverse features a central panel of Manchu script flanked by vertical columns of Chinese characters reading top to bottom, right to left. The surrounding border carries additional Chinese ideographic inscriptions denoting the imperial reign title Guangxu and the denomination. The overall design is arranged in a formal, rectilinear layout characteristic of late Qing dynasty coinage, with no figural elements. The legends collectively identify the issuing authority, the emperor's reign, and the coin's value in traditional weight units. |
|---|---|
| Obverse script | Log in to see details |
| Obverse lettering | 廠總幣造 光 ᠪᠠᡩᠠᡵᠠᠩᡤᠠ 寶 ᠶᡠᠸᠠᠨ ᠪᠣᠣ 元 ᡩᠣᡵᠣ 緒 釐四分四錢一平庫 (Translation: Factory made currency Guangxu (Emperor) / Yuanbao (Original currency) Guangxu (Emperor) / Yuanbao (Original currency) Worth 1 Mace 4.4 Candareens (weight)) |
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| Additional information |
The 1908 nickel patterns from the Guangxu reign were produced in the final months before the emperor's death in November of that year — followed within 24 hours by the death of the Empress Dowager Cixi. The court was experimenting with nickel as a base-metal alternative to silver for fractional denominations, a modernization push that never survived the dynasty's collapse three years later.
Kann 217y identifies this as a pattern trial, meaning it never reached authorized circulation. Very few examples are documented.