清朝建立至鴉片戰(zhàn)爭前的200多年間，清朝實行了銀兩與銅錢并行的貨幣制度。清初年，中國對外貿(mào)易發(fā)展迅速，銀貨流入，尤其是鴉片的大量輸入和國際貿(mào)易的擴(kuò)張，造成大量銀貨外流，使原有已出現(xiàn)的銀貨貧富問題愈演愈烈，銀錢并行制度的弊端愈演愈烈。當(dāng)時的外國機(jī)制銀幣泛濫，鑒于此時清末張之洞任兩廣總督，至光緒十五年(1889年)改湖廣為湖廣，先后在粵引進(jìn)外國設(shè)備六年，并成立炮廠、礦務(wù)局、廣東錢局等。它創(chuàng)建的廣東錢幣局，對晚清錢幣改革產(chǎn)生了重大影響，促使晚清鑄造的錢幣在全國掀起了一場技術(shù)革命。
民國三十二年(1906年)，清政府在天津設(shè)立造幣廠，鑄有"光緒元寶"銀幣、"大清銀幣"。民國三十一年(1905年)，云南獲批設(shè)立分廠，廠址位于舊寶云局舊址，現(xiàn)如今的昆明市錢局街，機(jī)器設(shè)備由德國進(jìn)口，技術(shù)工人從四川調(diào)來，祖模系向天津廠請教，光緒三十三年(1907年)八月鑄幣，開始鑄造銀幣。早期鑄造的銀幣，現(xiàn)在被稱為老云南。面額為七錢二分(一元)，三錢六分(五角)，四分四厘(二角)。后鑄背龍三個品種無英文俗稱“新云南”。面額為七錢二分(一元)、三錢六分(五角)、四分(二角)、七分二厘(一角)。
此枚錢幣正面珠圈內(nèi)鐫滿漢文“光緒元寶”四字，珠圈外上端鐫漢文“云南省造”四字，下端鐫漢文“庫平三錢六分”六個字，左右兩側(cè)各鐫一個七花星。錢背：正中蟠龍圖，左右各一七點花星。蟠龍眼神靈異炯炯有神;龍鱗雕刻細(xì)密有致，騰云駕霧，身姿遒勁有力;龍爪張揚，神武有力;龍身盤踞太陽，盡展皇家威嚴(yán)大氣。此蟠龍圖 是中國所有龍洋圖案錢幣(包括國外發(fā)行的所有錢幣)中，工藝最精湛，雕工最完美，浮雕感最強(qiáng)烈的品種，鏡面平整光滑，紋飾的相慣線，顯得非常清晰。
On the obverse side of the coin, the four characters "Guangxu Yuanbao" in Chinese are engraved on the inside of the bead circle, and the four characters "made in Yunnan Province" in Chinese are engraved on the upper end of the bead circle, and the six characters of "Kuping three coins and six Fen" are engraved at the bottom, and a seven flower star is engraved on the left and right sides respectively. Qian Bei: the picture of a dragon in the middle, with stars on the left and right at 17. The dragon's eyes are vivid and bright; the Dragon scales are carved in a fine and delicate manner; the dragon's claws are open and powerful; the dragon's body is in the sun, displaying the royal majesty. Among all the coins with dragon and ocean patterns in China (including all the coins issued abroad), this scroll dragon is the most exquisite in craftsmanship, the most perfect in carving, and the strongest sense of relief. The mirror surface is flat and smooth, and the lines of pattern are very clear.
云南省造光緒元寶庫平三錢六分，該銀幣重：13.5g,直徑33.6毫米，厚1.9毫米。經(jīng)歷了歲月的洗禮和歷史的沉淀，如今依然保存較為完整。它在燈光下散發(fā)出一種淡淡的銀光，仿佛帶著一股王者的貴氣。錢幣外緣較寬，正面鑄有銘文，頂部鑄楷體“云南省造”四字，底部鑄貨幣價值“庫平三錢六分”，中心直讀“光緒元寶”四字，外圈兩側(cè)各有一朵六角花紋裝飾。錢幣背面內(nèi)圈刻制神龍圖騰，雕琢精美，左右有兩朵小花進(jìn)行點綴，其背面龍紋不同于同時期其他各省發(fā)行的龍洋之龍紋，并且整枚銀元不出現(xiàn)一個英文也殊為特別。此云南省造光緒元寶制作精美，圖案考究，文字清秀，楷書文字書法極為精湛，間架結(jié)構(gòu)平衡舒展，在龍洋里首屈一指。錢幣表面包漿磨損自然。
The silver coin is 13.5g in weight, 33.6mm in diameter and 1.9mm in thickness. After years of baptism and historical precipitation, it is still well preserved. It emits a light silver light under the light, as if with a king's noble spirit. The coin has a wide outer margin, with an inscription on the front, four characters of "made in Yunnan Province" in regular script on the top, and "three coins and six cents in Kuping" at the bottom. The four characters of "Guangxu Yuanbao" are directly read in the center. There is a hexagonal pattern on both sides of the outer ring. The inner ring of the back of the coin is carved with a dragon totem, which is exquisitely carved. There are two small flowers embellished on the left and right. The dragon pattern on the back of the coin is different from the dragon pattern of Longyang issued by other provinces in the same period, and the whole silver coin does not appear a single English. The Guangxu Yuanbao made in Yunnan Province is exquisitely made, with exquisite patterns and elegant characters. The regular script calligraphy is extremely exquisite, and the frame structure is balanced and stretch out. It is second to none in Longyang. The coating on the surface of coins is naturally worn.
錢幣背面內(nèi)圈刻制神龍圖騰，雕琢精美，左右各有七個小圓進(jìn)行點綴，無英文字母。在燈光下散發(fā)出一種淡淡的銀光，帶著一股王者的貴氣。千百年來，龍作為中華民族的標(biāo)志，受到億萬龍的傳人信仰崇拜。龍之形象成為我國傳統(tǒng)裝飾的重要元素，在從古至今的許多修建、器物上都留下了永存的造型。在作為財富標(biāo)志的錢幣上尋找到龍的蹤影，這是藏家們喜歡光緒元寶銀幣的原因之一。
The inner ring on the back of the coin is carved with dragon totem, which is exquisitely carved. There are seven small circles on the left and right for embellishment, without English letters. Under the light, it emits a kind of light silver light, with a king's noble spirit. For thousands of years, as the symbol of the Chinese nation, the dragon has been worshipped by hundreds of millions of people. The image of the dragon has become an important element of traditional decoration in China. It has left a permanent shape on many buildings and artifacts since ancient times. It is one of the reasons why collectors like Guangxu silver coins.
