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20 Coppers

Issuer Ministry of Finance, Republic of China
Year 1922
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Currency Cash (1912)
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Obverse description Blue and purple note with two oval vignettes at centre: the left vignette shows a lakeside pavilion complex identified as the Summer Palace, while the right shows the Temple of Heaven in Beijing. The issuer's name in Chinese characters is inscribed within a cartouche at the top centre, flanked by serial numbers in black on both sides. Large Chinese characters '貳拾枚' (Twenty Coppers) occupy the centre field, with red official seals and additional overprint characters at the lower centre; '北京' (Beijing) appears in a panel at the bottom, and '中華民國' (Republic of China) is inscribed at the lower right margin.
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Reverse lettering TWENTY COPPER COINS
20
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Comments

The Republic of China's Ministry of Finance issued this note during a period when copper-unit denominations were being used to bridge the gap between large silver-based currency and everyday small commerce — a chronic structural problem in Chinese monetary administration throughout the early Republican period. The American Bank Note Company had a long-standing relationship with successive Chinese governments, supplying engraved currency from New York for a country whose domestic printing infrastructure could not yet meet demand for secure, high-quality paper issues.

P#608 is among the less commonly encountered Ministry of Finance coppers notes from this run. Surviving examples in any grade turn up infrequently.

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