There are two Manchu characters on the back of Qianlong Tongbao, one on the left and one on the right. The one on the left looks like a three-coil spring (with two coils connected in the middle), which is the Manchu word for "宝", which means "treasure" and "treasure money". The word on the right is the abbreviation of the bureau (or province) where the money was minted.
The Jiaqing Tongbao carries "宝" in Manchu on the left, and the name of the money-making bureau in Manchu on the right, such as Quan, Yuan, Su, He, Guang, etc. Jiaqing Tongbao was cast during the Jiaqing reign of Emperor Renzong of the Qing Dynasty (1796-1820). The diameter of the money is 2.2-2.6 cm and the weight is 2-4 grams. The inscription "Jiaqing Tongbao" on the money side is written in regular script and can be read from top to bottom, right to left.
Extended information
Qianlong Tongbao was the currency in circulation during the Qianlong period. During the 60 years of his reign, Emperor Qianlong used his "literary and martial arts" governance strategy to create the last currency in feudal society. After a glorious and prosperous era, it was widely spread among the people that wearing "Qianlong Tongbao" copper coins could ward off disasters and ward off evil spirits. Because the word "Qianlong" is a homophony of "Qianlong", the coins were loved by later generations of collectors.
Jiaqing Tongbao carved mothers and mother coins from some local bureaus are very rare and expensive, and the production process is quite exquisite, no less than that of the Qianlong period. The thick knife marks on the carved mothers are cleanly decorated, and the flesh of the mother coins is finely textured. The shape is extremely smooth and the characters are very clear. Jiaqing Tongbao's Tianxia Taipinggong coins come in several sizes. Extra-large, thick-cut coins are rarer. Common ones are often made by poor casters and have a lot of copper flowing out of the mouth of the characters. The mother coin is about the second or third grade in existence.
Reference materials: Baidu Encyclopedia: Jiaqing Tongbao ?Baidu Encyclopedia: Qianlong Tongbao