Fukien Copper Cash

It's quite uncommon to find chopmarks on copper or brass coins. These large Fukien province cash coins c. 1853–1855, cast at the Fuzhou Mint, were emergency copper-alloy issues produced during the fiscal and administrative strain of the Taiping Rebellion era (1850–1864). These oversized pieces bear either the Xianfeng Tongbao (咸豐通寶) or Xianfeng Zhongbao (咸豐重寶) inscription on the obverse, naming the reigning emperor, Xianfeng (r. 1851–1861), with Manchu script on the reverse identifying the Fuzhou mint (ᠪᠣᠣ ᡶᡠ, romanized Boo-Foo, representing 寶福). Their unusually large size and weight was intended to reinforce value at a time when copper shortages, debasement, and counterfeiting had eroded confidence in the more familiar small-denomination cash. Surviving examples show considerable variation in weight, calligraphy, and casting quality, reflecting localized and hurried manufacture. We occasionally find these large cash coins with chopmarks, atypical for base-metal coinage, where such marks are far more commonly associated with silver trade coins, generally understood as local validation / acceptance punches applied by merchants, military pay offices, or regional authorities to confirm circulation or assign an agreed accounting value. The variety of chopmarks found on these coins is small (often you'll see the same mark between two of them) which might signal extremely local circulation or application by a small pool of shroffs.

This set isn't meant to be exhaustive, rather to show the (lack of) variety seen in the chopmarks, and to show a totally different kind of host coinage with chopmarks than we usually see them on.

20 Cash - 通豐 (Tong Bao)

20 Cash - 重豐 (Zhong Bao)

20 Cash - 重豐 (Zhong Bao) with characters for weight on rim (Ex. Murphy)

Specifications:
Cast copper, 35.71 grams, edge smooth
Recorded mintage: unknown
Catalog reference: Hartill-22.794

Details:
Obverse: four Chinese ideograms, traditional Chinese script, 咸寶重豐 translating to Xian Feng Zhong Bao or Xianfeng (Emperor) / large cash currency.

Reverse: two manchu words, read vertically, separated by central hole, with one Chinese ideogram above and one below, 二 ᠪᠣᠣ ᡶᡠ 十 translating to Er Shi / Boo-fu or 100 Cash / Boo-fu (identifying the mint in Fuzhou).

The outer rim of the reverse carries the additional inscription 兩計重 (yi liang ji zhong), declaring the coin's equivalence to one liang of silver. This weight declaration is the distinguishing feature of the Hartill-22.794 variety and reflects a broader attempt during the Xianfeng large-cash issues to anchor inflated bronze denominations to a silver standard, lending them a credibility that the debased coinage of the period badly needed. In practice, market acceptance of these equivalencies was uneven, and the large-cash series struggled against public skepticism throughout its short production run.

By the 1850s, one liang of silver weighed roughly 37 grams and exchanged for approximately 1.38 Spanish dollars in foreign trade, while domestically its value had climbed to around 2,000 copper cash as silver drained out of China through the opium trade. A laborer's daily wage ran to perhaps 30-50 cash, placing one liang at something close to a month's ordinary earnings. A 20 cash bronze coin declaring itself equivalent to that amount was claiming a value somewhere between 50 and 100 times what its copper content could honestly support, which goes some way toward explaining why the market received the Xianfeng large-cash series with such persistent skepticism.

Notable chopmarks:

Similar to 大 - dà - big, great, large 大 - dà - big, great, large

和 - hé - harmony, peace, and

裕 - yù - abundant, rich, plentiful

天 - tiān - heaven, sky, day

上 - shàng - above, up, top

日 - rì - sun, day

Provenance:
Purchased from the Stack's Bowers April 2026 Hong Kong Showcase Auction Lot #49578

Auction Description:
CHINA. Qing Dynasty. Fujian. 20 Cash, ND (ca. 1853-55). Fuzhou Mint. Emperor Wen Zong (Xian Feng). VERY FINE Details--Chopmark.

Hartill-22.794; FD-2520; S-1591. Weight: 35.71 gms. Several medium size incuse Chinese chops on the rims including, "天" (Tian), "日" (Ri), "上" (Shang) and "祀" (Si). This handsome example displays rich brown patina with minor earthen deposits amongst the devices and good metal quality. The chops are clear and easily identified, though a few are somewhat uneven. Overall a charming example of the type with a pleasing appearance.

Provenance: From the Edgar Murphy Collection.