50 Cash - Xianfeng Zhongbao, Boo-gung

The Xianfeng reign (1851–1861) produced some of the most chaotic coinage in Qing dynasty history. The Taiping Rebellion had devastated tax revenues and disrupted supply chains for copper, forcing the Board of Revenue to authorize brass alloys and a proliferation of high-denomination cash — multiples of 10, 50, and 100 — to cover military expenditures. These large-denomination pieces were deeply unpopular with the public, who recognized immediately that face value bore no relationship to intrinsic metal worth.

Boo-gung denotes the Gongbu mint, the Board of Works facility in Beijing. Its output during this window was inconsistent, and 50-cash pieces from this mint are notably scarcer than equivalent issues from the Board of Revenue mint across the city.