Home Page New Data Chronology Cast Coins Struck Coins Paper Money Links/Reference




Kuang Hsu T'ung Pao
[ 1889 -1908 ]

The Trial Minting by Machinery of cash coins

The construction of the Kwangtung Mint outside the City of Canton at Huang Hua T'ang commenced in 1887 and was completed in 1889.
The Kwangtung Mint began trial minting by machinere of cash coins on the 26th day of the fourth moon in 1889. It was officially inaugurated on the 3rd day of the eighth moon of the same year and commened minting of the Kuang Hsu Tung Pao cash coins.

[Coins of Kwangtung Mints by Mr. Lam Wing Cheung, page 22 and 23,]


Marks of Rareness of the Collected Currencies

Extremely Rare A ~ Very Rare B ~ Rare C ~ Not So Many D ~ Common E

ObverseReverseDescription
No. 381
Rim Diam:
2 mm
Diam.
24.5 mm
Hole Diam.
5.5 mm
Wt. 3.9 g.
Rareness D
Mint Evolution & Peculiarity
This cash coin weighed 1 mace (Chinese measurements) and bore the mint mark Kwang written in both Chinese and Manchu characters and the denomination in Chinese [Equivalent to one cash]. They were for general circulation at the rate of 1000 cash to one tael of silver. This was the new machin-made cash coin, but the cash coins of early issues were allowed to continue their circulation in the market

ObverseReverseDescription
No. 382
Rim Diam:
2 mm
Diam.
24.2 mm
Hole Diam.
5.8 mm
Wt. 3.0 g.
Rareness E
Mint Evolution & Peculiarity
This is a new Kuang Hsu cash coin with a reduced weight of 0.8 mace was struck by the Kwangtung mint with the sanction of the Ch'ing Court in 1890 to off-set a deficit resulting from minting cash coins of 1 mace in weight by machinery in the previous year. This was the kuang Hsu Tung Pao with the Kwang mint mark of two Manchu characters on the reverse. It was valued at par with 1 mace cash coin for general circulation with other cash coins of earlier issues in the local market.


More about Kwangtung Coin : The First One Cent Copper Coin in Chinese History.

Kuang Ming Shih Chieh / Guang Ming Shi Jie Coin : Special coins minted by Kwangtung Mint.

More about Qing Cash Coins




    Bibliography

  1. Lam Wing Cheung ¡G Coins of Kwangtung Mints, page 22 and 23, published by the Urban Council of Hong Kong, May 1979.

Home PageNew DataChronologyCast CoinsStruck CoinsPaper MoneyLinks/Reference
Any additional comment would be much appreciated, you can send it to Y K Leung.