Item number: A1116

Year: AD 1368-1398

Material: Bronze

Size: 42.0 x 42.0 x 2.1 mm

Weight: 18.85 g

Provenance:

1. Noonans 2022

2. D. L. F. Sealy Collection

This is a bronze coin minted by Zhu Yuanzhang, the founder of the Ming Dynasty, after he ascended the throne in AD 1368. The coin bears the inscription “Hongwu Tongbao,” corresponding to his reign title.

The coin follows the typical design of square-holed coins. On the obverse side, the four characters “Hongwu Tongbao” are inscribed in regular script in the order of top, bottom, right, and left.

On the reverse side of the coin, the top and right sections are inscribed with the characters “京” (Jing, indicating the place of minting) and “十” (Shi, representing the denomination of ten cash), respectively, indicating that the coin was minted in Nanjing. Due to its age, the reverse side of the coin is heavily corroded and encrusted, resulting in the inscriptions being somewhat unclear.

Zhu Yuanzhang, who came from a peasant and monk background, imposed numerous restrictions on merchants after establishing the Ming Dynasty. These measures were intended to prevent the exploitation of farmers and achieve the dual goals of state control over the population. To realise his ideal of a small-scale agrarian economy, Zhu Yuanzhang continued the coinage system he had used during his rebellion against the Mongols. He standardised the coinage into five denominations: “Small cash,” “two-fold cash,” “Three-fold cash,” “Five cash,” and “Ten cash.”

Zhu Yuanzhang’s coinage policy contradicted the principle that, with the growth of population and economic development, societal demand for currency would inevitably increase. Additionally, copper coins were impractical for large-scale long-distance trade. Despite Zhu Yuanzhang’s adoption of paper currency policies from the Yuan Dynasty and his further prohibition of copper coins in the 27th year of the Hongwu reign (AD 1394), these measures led to a social and economic crisis. It was not until AD 1408, during the reign of Zhu Yuanzhang’s son, the Yongle Emperor, that the issuance of copper coins was resumed.

物件編號: A1116

年代: 公元 1368-1398 年

材質: 青銅

尺寸: 42.0 x 42.0 x 2.1 mm

重量: 18.85 g

來源:

1. 諾南斯 2022

2. 大衛.萊斯利.福布斯.西利舊藏

這是開創明朝的朱元璋在公元1368年稱帝後，以其年號所鑄造的「洪武通寶」銅錢。

錢幣型制為典型的方孔錢。錢幣正面按照上、下、右、左的順序，依序以楷書書法鐫刻漢字「洪武通寶」四字。

錢幣背面的上側和右側，依序鐫刻鑄造地「京」和面值「十」字樣，代表這枚錢幣由南京鑄造。由於年代久遠，錢幣背面充滿鏽蝕和包漿，使得文字不甚清晰。

農民和和尚背景出身的朱元璋，建國後對於商人設下諸多的限制，以避免其剝削農民和達到國家控制人民的雙重目的。朱元璋為實現其小農經濟的理想，沿襲其起義反抗蒙古人期間鑄造錢幣的規範，將錢幣簡單地劃分為「小平、折二、折三、當五和當十」五個等級。

朱元璋的設計違背隨著人口和經濟發展下，社會對於貨幣的需求將會日益擴大的道理。同時銅錢也不方便進行大規模的長距離貿易。即便朱元璋沿用元朝的紙鈔政策和洪武27年(公元1394年)進一步宣布禁止銅錢等措施，卻導致社會經濟的危機。直到公元1408年，朱元璋的兒子永樂帝在位才恢復銅錢的發行。