Item number: A1019

Year: AD 1644-1645

Material: Brass

Size: 25.1 x 24.9 x 1.2 mm

Weight: 4.1 g

Provenance:

1. Noonans 2022

2. D.L.F. Sealy Collection

This is a “Hongguang Tongbao” coin, minted under the era name of Prince Fu, during the chaotic period at the end of the Ming Dynasty, following the suicide of the Chongzhen Emperor and the Manchu invasion. In response to the turmoil, the remaining loyalists of the Ming Dynasty established the Southern Ming court in Nanjing, installing Prince Fu, Zhu Yousong, as the new emperor.

The coin follows the typical square-holed design. On the obverse side, the four characters “Hongguang Tongbao” (弘光通寶) are inscribed in regular script (Kaishu) in the sequence of top, bottom, right, and left. The coin can be further classified into different varieties based on variations in the form of the “弓” radical on the left side of the character “弘.” The reverse side of the coin is plain, without any inscriptions or designs. Both sides of the coin show significant signs of wear and erosion.

In AD 1644, after the rebel leader Li Zicheng captured Beijing, forcing the Chongzhen Emperor to commit suicide, the remnants of the Ming Dynasty established Prince Fu, Zhu Yousong, as emperor in Nanjing in May of that year. The Southern Ming court began minting the “Hongguang Tongbao” coins in October AD 1644, continuing until May of the following year, when Nanjing fell to Qing forces. The minting period for the Hongguang Tongbao lasted only seven months.

During the brief reign of Prince Fu, Zhu Yousong, the Southern Ming court was plagued by intense factional struggles, and the emperor himself was notorious for his indulgence and neglect of state affairs. In May AD 1645, the Qing forces captured Nanjing and took Prince Fu prisoner. Subsequently, the remaining Southern Ming resistance factions successively supported three other Ming princes: Prince Lu, Prince Tang, and Prince Gui. The Southern Ming resistance persisted until AD 1662, when the Gui King, the Yongli Emperor, was executed by Wu Sangui in Kunming, marking the end of the Ming royal line.

物件編號: A1019

年代: 公元 1644-1645 年

材質: 黃銅

尺寸: 25.1 x 24.9 x 1.2 mm

重量: 4.1 g

來源:

1. 諾南斯 2022

2. 大衛.萊斯利.福布斯.西利舊藏

這是一枚明朝末年，隨著崇禎皇帝自縊和滿洲人入關的混亂之際。明朝殘餘勢力率先於南京扶植福王朱由崧的南明朝廷，以福王的年號所鑄造之「弘光通寶」。

錢幣形制為典型的方孔錢。錢幣正面按上、下、右、左的順序，依序以楷書書法鐫刻漢字「弘光通寶」四字。錢幣按「弘」字左側的「弓」部首形制差異，尚有不同的版型劃分。錢幣背面為光背，沒有任何的文字和圖案。雙面的外表皆有許多磨蝕的痕跡。

公元1644年，隨著闖王李自成攻破北京城迫使明朝崇禎皇帝自縊，殘餘的明朝勢力在當年5月扶植福王朱由崧在南京登基。同年的10月，南明朝廷開始鑄造弘光通寶，直到隔年5月清軍攻陷南京為止，鑄造時間為7個月。

福王朱由崧短暫的統治期間，其朝廷內部深陷嚴重的黨派之爭，皇帝本人亦荒淫無度無心於朝政。公元1645年5月，清軍功克南京擒獲福王後，殘餘的南明反抗勢力陸續扶植「魯王、唐王和桂王」三位明室宗親，直到公元1662年桂王永曆帝為吳三桂絞殺於昆明為止。