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4 Qian Bullion coinage, Changsha Chien-Yi Firm
| Issuer | Hunan Province |
|---|---|
| Year | 1908 |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | 4 Qian (0.4) |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Diameter | Log in to see details |
| Thickness | Log in to see details |
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| Obverse description | Central field bearing six bold Chinese characters arranged in two rows of three, reading 長乾字 / 沙益號 (Changsha Chien-Yi Firm), rendered in a fluid, brush-inspired script style. The characters are set within a plain inner circle, itself enclosed by a raised beaded border that follows the irregular, hand-finished edge of the flan. The field displays a mottled silver-grey tone consistent with hand-struck bullion coinage of the late Qing period. |
|---|---|
| Obverse script | Log in to see details |
| Obverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Reverse description | Log in to see details |
| Reverse script | Chinese |
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| Additional information |
The Changsha Chien-Yi Firm was one of several private Hunanese money shops that issued silver bullion pieces in the last years of the Qing dynasty, operating outside the imperial mint system entirely. These shop-issued pieces circulated on local trust — the firm's reputation, not any government guarantee, backed their acceptance. The 1908 date places this issue squarely in the chaotic monetary environment preceding the 1911 revolution, when provincial and private coinage proliferated as central authority over currency collapsed.
Kann 980 is among the less frequently encountered shop silver references from Hunan, with surviving examples appearing rarely outside specialist Chinese numismatic sales.