光绪元宝是清朝光绪年间流通的货币之一。由湖北两广总督张之洞率先引进英国铸币机器铸造银元和铜元，之后各省纷纷仿效。共有十九个省局铸造，除中央户部，地方省所铸铜元，皆在其正面上缘镌写省名。

清朝末年，我国金属钱币的铸造方法和形制上发生了变革。在模仿国外的基础上铸造了由范铸（用模子浇铸金属币的造币方法）发展到用机器铸造。而吉林机器局铸造的“厂平”银元，则首开我们用机器铸币的先河；光绪二十四年至光绪三十四年（1898年-1908年）铸造的“光绪元宝”银元种类之多，也堪称全国之首。

吉林省铸造银圆与其所处的时代历史背景和自身封禁正府密不可分。清朝末年国外银元大量流入，受到了广大商民的欢迎，但同时流入的国外银圆种类繁多、品质亦杂，国外银圆的价格不仅因种类而不同，也因各地的习惯好恶而各异，使其使用亦感不便。下图便是小编有幸见到的其中一枚吉林省造光绪元宝。

银币规格：直径，3.9cm，重26.7g，正面中央珠圈内镌“光绪元宝”四个汉字，四个汉字的中间为“太极”图案，故俗称“太极”版。珠圈外上端镌“吉林省造”四字楷书，左右两边“壬寅”两字，下端镌币值“库平七钱二分”六个字。银币背面中央镌蟠龙图，上端镌英文吉林省“KIRIN PROVINCE”，下端镌英文币值库平七钱二分，左右两侧分别镌“宝吉”满文。铸造规整，龙图、字面均保存完好，压铸深峻清晰，原味包浆均匀，带有温润银光，状态颇佳，无戳印，集稀少版别与上佳品相于一身，极为难得，素为吉林银币之珍，为吉林币最稀少品种之一，好品相尤为珍罕。

虽然钱币正面依旧是满汉文化的融合，但是背面却标示着西方文明的介入。钱币虽小，却也很现实的反映了当时的社会、文化、时政以及格局。

英文翻译：

Guangxu Yuanbao was one of the currencies in circulation during the Guangxu reign of the Qing Dynasty. Zhang Zhidong, governor of Hubei Province, Guangdong Province and Guangdong Province, took the lead in introducing the British coinage machine to cast silver and copper coins, and later the provinces followed suit. A total of 19 provincial bureaus cast, in addition to the central Ministry of Housing, local provinces cast copper dollars, are engraved on the front edge of the province name.   At the end of the Qing Dynasty, changes took place in the casting method and shape of metal coins in China. On the basis of imitating foreign foundry from the mold casting (casting metal coins with a mold method of coinage) to the development of machine casting. The "Changping" silver dollar cast by Jilin Machinery Bureau was the first coin to be cast by machine. Guangxu twenty-four years to Guangxu thirty-four years (1898 -1908) cast "Guangxu Yuanbao" silver dollar of many types, also can be called the first in the country.   Jilin Province casting silver circle with its historical background of The Times and its own ban is inseparable. At the end of the Qing Dynasty, a large number of foreign silver dollars flowed in, which was welcomed by the vast number of merchants. But at the same time, there were many kinds of foreign silver dollars, and their quality was also miscellaneous. The price of foreign silver dollars was not only different because of the kinds, but also different because of the habits of different places, making its use also inconvenient. The picture below is small make up one of the guangxu ingot made in jilin province lucky to see.       Silver coin specification: diameter, 3.9cm, weight 26.7g, the front central bead circle engraved "Guangxu Yuanbao" four Chinese characters, the middle of the four Chinese characters is "Taiji" pattern, so it is commonly known as "Taiji" version. The upper end of the bead circle is engraved with the four-word regular script "made in Jilin Province", the two words "Ren Yin" on the left and right sides, and the lower end is engraved with the six words "Kuping seven money two points". In the center of the back of the silver coin, the upper end is engraved with the English word "Kirin Province" in Jilin Province, the lower end is engraved with the English currency value of Kuping seven cents, and the left and right sides are respectively engraved with "Baoji" Manchu. The casting is regular, the dragon figure and the letter are well preserved, the die-casting is deep and clear, the original flavor wrap paste is uniform, with a warm silver light, the state is quite good, no stamp, and sets the rare edition and the best quality phase in a body, which is extremely rare. It is the treasure of Jilin silver coin, one of the scarcest varieties of Jilin coin, and the good quality phase is particularly rare.   Although the front side of the coin still shows the integration of Chinese and Manchu cultures, the back side indicates the intervention of Western civilization. Although coins are small, they also reflect the society, culture, politics and pattern of the time realistically.