Catalog
Why register? Just to keep bots out of our catalog. Your email stays private - we will never share it or send you anything uninvited. We guarantee you that!
| Issuer | Board of Revenue Mint (戶部局), Beijing |
|---|---|
| Year | 1854-1855 |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | 5 Cash |
| Currency | Log in to see details |
| Composition | Log in to see details |
| Weight | Log in to see details |
| Diameter | Log in to see details |
| Thickness | Log in to see details |
| Shape | Log in to see details |
| Technique | Log in to see details |
| Orientation | Log in to see details |
| Engraver(s) | Log in to see details |
| In circulation to | Log in to see details |
| Reference(s) | Log in to see details |
| Obverse description | Four large Chinese ideograms in Dai (regular) script are arranged in cruciform fashion around a central square hole, reading top, right, bottom, left in the traditional manner. The legend 咸豐重寶 (Xianfeng Zhongbao) occupies the four quadrants of the obverse field, with each character boldly cast in high relief against a flat, unadorned field. The strokes are broad and deliberate, characteristic of Board of Revenue mint output during the Xianfeng reign. No additional decorative elements or borders appear beyond the raised rim encircling the coin. |
|---|---|
| Obverse script | Log in to see details |
| Obverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Reverse description | Log in to see details |
| Reverse script | Log in to see details |
| Reverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Edge | Log in to see details |
| Mint | Log in to see details |
| Mintage | ND (1854-1855) |
| Additional information |
The Board of Revenue Mint in Beijing expanded its output dramatically in the early 1850s under pressure from the Taiping Rebellion, which had severed southern supply routes and drained imperial reserves. Multi-cash brass issues were a direct fiscal response — face value exceeding intrinsic metal value by design. The Dai script reverse inscription on this type identifies it as one of the Manchu-character issues produced for internal accounting distinction at Boo-chiowan, the Board of Revenue facility.
Hartill 22.686 is among the more precisely attributable varieties from this chaotic period of emergency minting.