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5 Mithqual - Guangxu / Xuantong Ka Shen Zao
| Issuer | Sinkiang Province |
|---|---|
| Year | 1906-1909 |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | 5 Mithqual (0.5) |
| 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 |
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| Obverse description | Central field displays four large Chinese ideograms arranged in a cruciform pattern, read top to bottom and right to left, with a floral rosette at the centre of the cross. Additional Chinese characters appear above and below the central group, forming the denomination and issuing authority legend. Arabic inscriptions flank the central design to the left and right, incorporating the Hijri date and denomination. The entire device is enclosed within a beaded inner circle, with a plain outer border. |
|---|---|
| Obverse script | Log in to see details |
| Obverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Reverse description | A coiled dragon in high relief occupies the central field, its body encircling a flaming pearl. The dragon is depicted facing forward with scaled body, clawed feet, and flowing whiskers rendered in fine detail. The central motif is surrounded by a beaded inner circle, outside of which a wreath of stylised foliage and floral sprays extends to the milled border, with a decorative rosette at the top and a scroll element at the base. |
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| Edge | Log in to see details |
| Mint | Log in to see details |
| Mintage | Log in to see details |
| Additional information |
Sinkiang's provincial mint at Kashgar operated under chronic resource constraints throughout the late Qing period, which explains the dramatic weight inconsistencies documented across this type — the mithqual standard itself was a local Islamic weight unit retained deliberately to facilitate trade with Central Asian merchants who distrusted Chinese tael denominations. Kashgar, Urumqi, and Aksu each struck this type, and the die varieties catalogued under Y#25.1–3 and Y#25.8 allow attribution to specific facilities, though mixed dies complicate confident assignment.
The dual reign attribution — Guangxu through Xuantong — reflects the mint continuing production essentially uninterrupted across the 1908 imperial succession.