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3 Taels Hubu Guanpiao, second issue
| Issuer | Hubu (Board of Revenue), Qing Dynasty |
|---|---|
| Year | 1853-1864 |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | Log in to see details |
| Currency | Log in to see details |
| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| In circulation to | Log in to see details |
| Reference(s) | P#A10 |
| Obverse description | Vertically oriented note printed in blue-black ink on cream paper, with a central text panel framed by a border of stylised dragon and wave motifs in letterpress. The upper register bears a large dragon vignette above the main denomination inscription in classical Chinese characters reading three taels of standard silver, with the serial number and series characters arranged in vertical columns. Two large vermilion official seals are impressed over the text, and a lower panel carries the regulatory text governing the note's legal status and penalties for counterfeiting. |
|---|---|
| Obverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Reverse description | Plain cream paper reverse with faint impressed grid lines from the printing process visible across the surface. Several manuscript notations in ink and two vermilion seal impressions are present, consistent with administrative endorsements applied during circulation. The overall surface shows the characteristic aging and toning of mid-nineteenth-century Chinese official paper. |
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| Comments |
The Hubu Guanpiao were copper-cash notes, not silver notes — a distinction that matters enormously here. The 3 Tael denomination is exceptional because taels are a silver-weight unit, yet these notes circulated alongside the Hubu's copper-denominated daqian issues as part of a dual-currency paper experiment launched under the Xianfeng Emperor in 1853. The experiment was a fiscal emergency measure triggered by the catastrophic cost of suppressing the Taiping Rebellion, which had drained the Qing treasury to near-collapse.
The second issue reflects adjustments made after the first series failed to gain public trust. Counterfeiting and outright refusal to accept government paper were widespread problems throughout the run. The series was formally discontinued by 1864, largely abandoned before it ended.