2017-08-21 Mon

Champion Auctions offered a China-Szechuan 1902-11 One Rupee Silver coin on 20th August. Sichuan was the largest old imperial province, known for Chinese agriculture, industry, and culture. Its capital city was Chengdu where their working mint was situated since 1732. The Chongqing mint has been operational from 1913. A new Sichuan mint with new equipment was built by the Ferracute Machine Company of New Jersey.

Sichuan wanted to reduce the influence foreign coinage in the region by minting their own coins like the British Indian rupee in the beginning of 20th century. The government countered this with a silver coin and two fractional silver issues.

The Sichuan One Rupee coin was made of 90% silver but was debased later on with time. The obverse features a portrait of Emperor Guang Xu. He was under house arrest since 1898 for rendering a figurehead by a coup led by the Empress Dowager.

The reverse depicts leaves and flowers of a vegetal filigree, the denomination, and origin in Chinese and a small rosette. The offered coin is known as the Type 1 Guang Xu with a vertical rosette on the reverse and is missing a collar on the emperor's neck. It is the second-highest-graded specimen of its type. The same coin was sold in December 2016 for $32,000 USD.