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5 Jiao - Guangxu
| Issuer | Fengtian Arsenal (Fengtian Province) |
|---|---|
| Year | 1897-1899 |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | Log in to see details |
| Currency | Yuan (1897-1931) |
| 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 | Log in to see details |
|---|---|
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| Reverse description | The reverse displays a finely engraved Imperial Chinese dragon in high relief, shown in a coiling posture with its scaly body spiraling around a central flaming pearl at the centre of the field. The dragon is depicted with characteristic Qing dynastic iconography, including bifurcated tail, four clawed feet, open jaws, and cloud scrolls surrounding the body. A Chinese legend arranged around the periphery reads clockwise and records the issuing authority and regnal date. The entire design is enclosed within a toothed milled rim. |
| Reverse script | Chinese |
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| Edge | Log in to see details |
| Mint | Log in to see details |
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| Additional information |
The Fengtian Arsenal was an industrial complex established in the 1880s under Li Hongzhang's modernization push in Manchuria, and its brief foray into silver coinage in the late 1890s produced some of the most technically inconsistent machine-struck issues of the Guangxu period. The mint lacked the experienced staff and quality controls of the Guangdong or Beiyang facilities, and it shows — planchet preparation was irregular enough that examples with uneven surfaces and lamination flaws are well documented across the type.
Production ceased by 1899, likely due to operational difficulties rather than any policy decision. The Arsenal's primary purpose was ordnance, not currency.