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Charm - Guangxu Tongbao
| Issuer | China, People`s Republic of |
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| Year | |
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| Composition | Zinc |
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| Obverse description | Round zinc charm with a central square perforation, struck in the traditional Chinese cash coin format. The four-character reign title inscription 光緒通寶 (Guangxu Tongbao) is arranged radially around the square hole in the conventional manner: 光 (guang) at the top, 緒 (xu) at the bottom, 通 (tong) to the right, and 寶 (bao) to the left, all rendered in regular script (kaishu). The flat field between the legends and the plain raised rim shows a coarse, granular surface texture consistent with a cast zinc piece. No mint marks or additional decorative elements are present on this face. |
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| Obverse script | Chinese (traditional, regular script) |
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| Additional information |
Guangxu Tongbao charms are apotropaic pieces produced outside official mint channels, made to imitate the cash coinage of the Guangxu Emperor's reign (1875–1908) without functioning as currency. Zinc was a practical choice for charm-makers working without imperial authorization — cheaper than bronze, easy to cast in simple molds.
The attribution to the People's Republic reflects modern collection origin rather than issuing authority; these pieces predate the PRC entirely.