Xian Feng Tong Bao // Boo Chang (in Manchu) left and right, Dang Wushi ("Value 50") in Chinese characters above and below the hole. Mint of Nanchang in Jiangxi. 51mm, 36.26 grams. Hartill 22.931.

No repairs, original patina, from an old dealer's inventory.

Emperor Xianfeng (1831–1861) was the ninth emperor of the Qing dynasty of China, ruling from 1850 until his death in 1861. His reign was one of the most turbulent in Qing history, marked by multiple crises that weakened imperial authority. Internally, he faced massive uprisings, most notably the Taiping Rebellion, as well as the Nian, Miao, and other revolts. Externally, he confronted Western powers during the Second Opium War (1856–1860), which ended with the sacking of the Summer Palace and humiliating treaties that eroded Qing sovereignty. Struggling to manage the empire’s decline, Xianfeng retreated to Rehe (Jehol), where he died in 1861, leaving the throne to his young son, the Tongzhi Emperor. After his death, real power fell into the hands of the regents and the Empress Dowager Cixi.