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Taiping Heavenly Kingdom
Shengbao
太平天國
聖寶
Item number: A583
Year: AD 1853
Material: Brass
Size: 22.1 x 22.0 x 0.9 mm
Weight: 3.2 g
Provenance:
1. Noonans 2022
2. D. L. F. Sealy Collection
This is a coin from the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom period of the Qing Dynasty. The coin is round with a square hole in the centre. The obverse side features the four characters “太平天國” (Taiping Tianguo) arranged top to bottom, right to left. The reverse side has the two characters “聖寶” (Shengbao) arranged right to left. Despite some corrosion, the coin shows clear signs of age.
Taiping Heavenly Kingdom coins were made from various materials, primarily copper, with some made of lead, iron, gold, and silver. The coins have two main characteristics: first, none of them bear a denomination, with the inscriptions mostly in Song-style script and some in regular script; second, the coins are all named “聖寶” (Shengbao), with “聖” (Holy) referring to Jesus Christ. The inscriptions on the coins are diverse: some have “天國” on the obverse and “通寶” on the reverse; others have “天國” on the obverse and “聖寶” on the reverse; some have “太平天國” on the obverse and “聖寶” on the reverse; and others have “天國聖寶” on the obverse and “太平” on the reverse. Additionally, the inscriptions can be written horizontally or vertically.
The Taiping Heavenly Kingdom was the largest peasant rebellion in Qing Dynasty history, spanning the Daoguang, Xianfeng, and Tongzhi reigns. The regime was mainly active in Jiangnan and the two Guangdong provinces.
The name “Taiping Heavenly Kingdom” is linked to Christian beliefs, as its founder Hong Xiuquan had a Christian background. He launched the rebellion with the slogan “All under Heaven are equal, sharing peace” in Jintian Village, Guiping County, Guangxi, in the 30th year of Daoguang (AD 1850). The kingdom was established in the first year of Xianfeng (AD 1851) and was named the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom, with its capital in Nanjing, renamed Tianjing.
In the third year of Xianfeng (AD 1853), after establishing the capital in Nanjing, the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom issued the “Land System of the Heavenly Kingdom,” which proposed an equal distribution of land. They also began minting coins and implementing tax policies. Records show that coins were minted in Suzhou, Hangzhou, Shaoxing, Jiaxing, and Huizhou, indicating that these coins were in circulation within the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom.