{{Short description|Mint in Guangdong (Canton), China}} {{Use dmy dates|date=May 2022}} {{Infobox company | name = Canton Mint | image = Canton Mint.jpg | image_size = 300 | image_caption = Planned layout of the mint in 1888 | industry = Minting | founded = 1889 | defunct = 1949 }}
The '''Canton Mint''' ({{CJKV|c=廣東造幣廠 ;|s=|t=|p=|cj=gwong2 dung1 zou6 bai6 cong2}}) also romanised as '''Kwangtung Mint''' was a mint located in Guangdong (Canton), China, which produced coinage at the discretion of the Guangdong Provincial government. Opened in 1889 it was the first mint in China that used modern minting techniques and was at the time the largest mint in the world producing 2.7 million coins per day.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://jerseycoins.com/wyon/EdwardWyon.htm|title=Edward Wyon|last=|first=|date=|website=jerseycoins.com|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080906193724/http://www.jerseycoins.com/wyon/EdwardWyon.htm |archive-date=2008-09-06 |access-date=9 September 2019}}</ref>
== History == left|thumb|Photo of mint staff circa 1900
In 1887 as China began to modernise its minting methods British mint Heaton and Sons (later known as the Birmingham Mint) won a contract to build and equip a new mint in Guangdong province (Canton).<ref>{{Cite book|title=Great Britain and Her World|last=Barrie M.|first=Ratcliffe|publisher=Manchester University Press|year=1986|isbn=978-0719005817|location=|pages=193}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://collections.museumsvictoria.com.au/articles/2023|title=Heaton & Sons Mint, Birmingham, England|last=|first=|date=|website=Museums Victoria|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151130030111/http://collections.museumvictoria.com.au/articles/2023|archive-date=30 November 2015|access-date=8 September 2019}}</ref> Designed in England the new Canton Mint constructed in Chinese style was opened by Viceroy Zhang Zhidong on 25 May 1889 at a total cost of 1 million dollars.<ref>{{Cite book|title=The Currencies of China|last=Eduard|first=Kann|publisher=Shanghai, Kelly & Walsh|year=1926|isbn=|url=https://archive.org/stream/currenciesofchin00kann|pages=417}}</ref> Measuring 200 meters and 130 meters wide the Canton Mint was the largest mint in the world operating 90 minting presses at once, compared to the US mint's six.{{fact|date=May 2022}}
In its opening year, the mint produced the first Chinese Silver Dragon coins, which were based on Japanese and Korean designs.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.coinworld.com/news/precious-metals/china_s-kwangtung-mint-was-once-worlds-largest.html|title=China's Kwangtung Mint was once world's largest|last=Starck|first=Jeff|date=19 October 2014|website=Coin World|access-date=8 September 2019}}</ref>
The minted closed in 1931 and later briefly re-opened by the Kuomintang in 1949 before their retreat to Taiwan.<ref>{{Cite book|title=2011 Standard Catalog of World Coins 1901-2000|last=S. Cuhaj|first=George|publisher=Krause Publications|year=2010|isbn=9781440215148|location=|pages=}}</ref>
== References == {{Reflist}}
Category:Mints of China Category:Chinese numismatics