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50 Fen - Guangxu Four characters
| Issuer | Chekiang Province Mint |
|---|---|
| Year | 1898-1899 |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | 50 Fen (0.50) |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Obverse description | Central field features four large Chinese ideograms arranged in a cruciform pattern, reading top to bottom and right to left, flanked by Manchu script characters at centre. The ideograms identify the issuing province and the reign title of the Guangxu Emperor, while the Manchu characters denote 'Yuanbao' (original currency). A surrounding border of additional Chinese ideograms records the denomination and weight standard of 3 mace and 6 candareens, all within a beaded border. |
|---|---|
| Obverse script | Log in to see details |
| Obverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Reverse description | A sinuous imperial dragon in high relief occupies the central field, depicted in three-quarter facing view with scales finely rendered and claws outstretched, clutching a flaming pearl at centre. The dragon's head faces forward with prominent horns and flowing whiskers, its body coiling through clouds with a bushy tail curling to the lower right. The circumferential Latin legend reads 'CHEH-KIANG PROVINCE' along the upper arc and '3 MACE AND 6 CANDAREENS' along the lower arc, separated by small rhombus-shaped ornaments. The whole design is contained within a beaded border. |
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| Additional information |
Chekiang Province's silver coinage of this period emerged from a mint establishment that was itself contentious — provincial authorities resisted Peking's push to centralize coin production, and several provinces struck their own issues in direct competition with the Tianjin central mint. The Chekiang pieces differ from contemporaries in their fineness specification, .860 rather than the .900 common to other provincial issues, a deliberate choice whose rationale remains debated among specialists.
Y#54 is distinguished by the four-character reverse inscription that gives this type its collector name. The series had a short production window before provincial minting authority was progressively curtailed after 1900.