Shanxi 2 Fen

The coin pictured is a Shanxi 2 Fen, a small copper piece struck for the northern Chinese province of Shanxi during the Republic period and dated 1931. Its most striking feature is the central hole piercing the coin, a design echoing China's ancient cash coins but applied here to a modern decimal denomination.

The obverse carries Chinese characters arranged around the hole together with the numeral 2, marking the two-fen value. The reverse shows an ornamental circular design also centered on the hole. The fen was a subunit of the Chinese yuan (dollar), so two fen represented a very small everyday value.

This is a provincial circulation coin rather than a national issue, produced under the regional administration that controlled Shanxi in the early 1930s. As base-metal small change with a distinctive holed format, it is collected today as a piece of Republican-era provincial coinage rather than for any precious-metal content.

In the years after the founding of the Chinese Republic in 1912, coinage remained highly decentralized, and individual provinces continued to strike their own copper and silver money. Shanxi Province, in China's north, was one such region, and during the early 1930s it issued its own low-denomination copper coins, including this 2 Fen dated 1931 (Year 20 of the Republic).

The holed format is notable. While most Republican copper coins of the period were solid flans in the Western style, Shanxi's holed fen coins deliberately recalled the square- or round-holed cash that had circulated in China for over two millennia. This blend of an old form with a modern decimal denomination reflects the transitional character of Chinese money in this era.

Shanxi in this period was governed under a strong regional administration, and its provincial coinage circulated chiefly within the province and neighboring areas. Such local copper issues were eventually superseded as the national government worked toward a more unified currency later in the 1930s, leaving these holed provincial coins as artifacts of a fragmented monetary landscape.

Identify this coin first by its central hole combined with a modern denomination: a small copper piece with a hole through the middle and the numeral 2 indicating two fen. The obverse groups Chinese characters around the hole, naming the province and value, while the reverse bears an ornamental circular design framing the same central opening.

The date corresponds to 1931 (Republic Year 20) and, on Republican coins, is normally written in Chinese characters as a year of the Republic rather than in Western numerals. Reading the provincial name in the legend is the key step in attributing the piece to Shanxi as opposed to other provinces that also struck copper coins in this period.

Physically, expect a small, light copper coin showing the reddish-brown tone of circulated copper. The holed shape, the two-fen value, the Shanxi provincial legend, and the 1931 date together confirm the type; the exact characters and any minor variety details should be read directly from the coin and checked against a specialized Chinese coin reference.

As a base-metal provincial coin, the Shanxi 2 Fen draws its value from collector interest rather than metal content. Ordinary circulated examples of Republican copper coins are generally inexpensive, while pieces with strong detail, even surfaces, and clear legends command more attention from collectors of Chinese provincial coinage.

Condition is the main driver of price. Copper coins of this era are often found worn, corroded, or with environmental damage, and problem-free examples with sharp characters and an intact, undamaged hole are the more desirable. Cleaned or heavily worn pieces sell at a discount.

Because values vary with grade, variety, and demand, treat any single figure with caution and compare against recent sales of the same Shanxi holed fen type. For a scarcer variety or an unusually well-preserved coin, professional grading and authentication add confidence.