Item number: A1023

Year: AD 1627-1644

Material: Brass

Size: 23.6 x 23.4 x 0.6 mm

Weight: 2.15 g

Provenance:

1.Noonans 2022

2. D. L. F. Sealy Collection

This is a “Chongzhen Tongbao” coin, issued during the reign of Chongzhen, the last emperor of the Ming Dynasty (AD 1627-AD 1644). During Chongzhen’s reign, the Ming Empire faced severe internal and external challenges, including peasant uprisings led by Li Zicheng and Zhang Xianzhong, as well as the rising threat of the Manchu “Later Jin” regime outside the Great Wall. Desperately in need of funds, Chongzhen significantly increased taxes and decentralised the exclusive minting rights previously held by Beijing and Nanjing to various provinces and units. This decentralisation resulted in a highly diverse range of “Chongzhen Tongbao” coin designs.

The coin features the typical square-holed design characteristic of traditional Chinese currency, with an additional hole on the outer rim. On the obverse, the four characters “崇禎通寶” (Chongzhen Tongbao) are inscribed in regular script, following the sequence of top, bottom, right, and left.

On the rightward part of the reverse side of the coin, the Chinese character “八分” (Eight Candareens) is inscribed, indicating the coin’s weight. During the Ming Dynasty, one candareen was equivalent to today’s 0.373 grams. Therefore, the coin, based on its nominal value, should weigh approximately 2.984 grams. However, the actual weight of the coin shows some discrepancy from its face value, reflecting the social and political instability during the late Ming period.

The Chongzhen Tongbao coins are notable for their highly varied reverse designs, which often include indicators of weight, cyclical year dates, mint locations, and auspicious phrases. Among these, there is a unique variant featuring an engraved galloping horse. According to one interpretation, this special type was minted by the Chongzhen Emperor, who was born in the Year of the Horse, for good fortune. However, given the historical context of the Ming dynasty’s imminent collapse, it is more widely believed among the populace that this design ominously foretold the impending conquest of Beijing by the rebel leader Li Zicheng, known as the “Dashing King.”

During the late Ming dynasty, the empire was severely impacted by the Little Ice Age, which brought about frequent droughts and famines. In AD 1629, an unemployed postal worker named Li Zicheng joined a band of rebel farmers and soon gained a following among the desperate and destitute, earning the moniker “Dashing King.” By AD 1644, Li Zicheng had captured key cities such as Xi’an, Luoyang, and Kaifeng, and declared himself emperor of the newly established “Shun” dynasty, subsequently launching an attack on the Ming capital, Beijing.

At that time, the Ming dynasty’s elite troops were stationed at the Shanhai Pass to defend against the advancing forces of the Manchus (Later Jin), leaving Beijing poorly defended. Consequently, Li Zicheng’s forces easily breached the capital’s defences. Facing this dire situation, the Chongzhen Emperor ordered the Empress to hang herself and personally killed his daughters. Accompanied by a single eunuch, he then hanged himself on Meishan Hill, thus bringing an end to the 276-year reign of the Ming dynasty.

物件編號: A1023

年代: 公元 1627-1644 年

材料: 黃銅

尺寸: 23.6 x 23.4 x 0.6 mm

重量: 2.15 g

來源:

1. 諾南斯 2022

2. 大衛.萊斯利.福布斯.西利舊藏

這是明朝末代皇帝崇禎在位年間(公元1627至1644年)，發行之崇禎通寶。由於明帝國在崇禎年間，面臨內有李自成和張獻忠等人領導的農民叛亂，外有在關外興起的滿洲人「後金」政權夾擊，需款孔急的崇禎一面大幅課稅，另一面將專屬北京和南京的鑄幣權下放各省和單位，使得崇禎通寶的版型極為複雜。

錢幣的形制為典型的方孔錢，外廓有一個孔洞。錢幣正面按照上、下、右、左的順序，依序以漢字楷書字體鐫刻「崇禎通寶」四字。

錢幣背面的右側，鐫刻著標示重量的漢字「八分」。明朝的一分為今日的0.373公克，該錢幣若按照面值理當為2.984公克，然而其實際重量與面值仍有些許差距，反映出明朝末年社會和政局不穩的困境。

崇禎通寶一大特色是背面的變化非常多樣，常見的有標示重量、干支紀年、鑄造地點和吉語等類別。除此之外，尚有一款鐫刻跑馬的特殊類別，根據一種說法，這是生肖屬馬的崇禎為討吉利鑄造的特殊類型。但結合明朝將要亡國的時代背景，民間更加普遍認為這是預示「闖王」李自成將要攻破北京的徵兆。

明朝末年受到小冰期衝擊不斷受到旱災和飢荒肆虐。公元1629年，失業的驛卒李自成加入農民反抗隊伍，成為受到災民擁護的「闖王」。公元1644年，彼時攻克西安、洛陽和開封各要邑的李自成稱帝，創立國號為「大順」向明朝首都北京發起攻勢。彼時明朝的精銳部隊多部屬在山海關阻擋後金的攻勢，為此李自成輕易地攻破守備空虛的北京。崇禎皇帝面對如此頹勢，先是命令皇后自縊和親自手刃公主後，在一名太監陪同下在郊外的煤山自縊，終結大明帝國兩百六十年的國祚。