Local and Central Silver Coins
in Late Ching Dynasty

Stephen Tai
Mar.13, 1998

#1	Mint: Kiang-Nan Province Denomination: Silver Dollar in 7 maces 2 candareens
#2	Mint: Yunnan Province Denomination: Silver Dollar in 7 maces 2 candareens
#3	Mint: Szechuan Province Denomination: Silver Dollar in 7 maces 2 candareens
#4	Mint: Made in Bei-Yang (Tienjing Mint) Denomination: Silver Dollar in 7 maces 2 candareens
#5	Mint: Kashgar, Shinkiang Province Denomination: Silver Dollar in 1 tael
#6	Mint: The Central Mint Denomination: Silver Dollar in 7 maces 2 candareens
#7	Mint: General Issued Denomination: Silver Dollar in 7 maces 2 candareens

Minting silver coins was one of the most profitable business for the local governments in late Ching Dynasty, which had been exemplified by Kuang Tung Province since 1890, and gained huge profits. Then, thereafter, almost every province followed its paths, minting their own silver coins to pursue profits, for instances: #1 - #5. The silver coins market in China, hence, became out of the Central government's control.
The Central government had tried to centralized the right of minting silver coins by introducing some general issued, for instances, #6 - #7, and prohibiting local governments from minting their own coins anymore. However, it was not successful, few local governments had really obeyed such order, the general issued coins eventually had to compete with various local counterparts in the streets.
#7 was the last general issuance by the Central Government in 1911, the last year of the Ching Dynasty. When it being put into market, the government was overthrown a few months later.