Ming Dynasty

Chongzhen Tongbao

(Manchu Script)

崇禎通寶

(背滿文)

Item number: A1677

Year: AD 1627-1644

Material: Brass

Size: 19.5 x 19.5 mm

Provenance: Da Chen Stamps and Coins Collection 2016

This is a square-holed coin bearing the reign title “Chongzhen” of the last emperor of the Ming Dynasty. What makes this Chongzhen Tongbao coin unique is the presence of a Manchu inscription on the reverse, “ᠪᠣᠣ ᠶᡠᠸᠠᠨ,” which refers to the minting unit “Bao Yuan Bureau.”

The coin is of a square-hole type, with the four characters “崇禎通寶” (Chongzhen Tongbao) engraved on the obverse in the sequence of top, bottom, right, and left. On the reverse, on the left and right sides, there are Manchu inscriptions: “ᠪᠣᠣ” (Bao), and “ᠶᡠᠸᠠᠨ” (Yuan), which collectively refer to the abbreviation of the “Bao Yuan Bureau,” the coinage office responsible for minting during the Qing dynasty under the Ministry of Works.

The origin and exact minting date of this Chongzhen Tongbao with Manchu inscriptions on the reverse have been the subject of extensive discussion and speculation within both academic and collecting circles. The most widely accepted theory in the past is that this type of Chongzhen Tongbao, featuring Manchu inscriptions on the reverse, was minted by the first Qing emperor, Shunzhi, after the Qing entered China. It is believed that he issued these coins to win over the Han people’s support by continuing to use the reign title of the previous Ming dynasty’s Chongzhen era.

However, the above argument is countered by different pieces of evidence. The first piece of evidence is that the first appearance of Manchu script on the reverse side of coins during the reign of Emperor Shunzhi occurred in the year AD 1657, which is a considerable time after the Manchus entered the Central Plains in AD 1644. During this period, Shunzhi Tongbao coins were primarily modelled after Ming Dynasty coins, which featured a blank reverse or inscribed Chinese characters, rather than Manchu script. Furthermore, the Manchu script seen on the reverse of Shunzhi Tongbao coins minted from AD 1657 onwards shows a distinct difference in style compared to the Manchu script found on Chongzhen Tongbao coins.

Therefore, some scholars have speculated based on the Manchu calligraphy that the Manchu script on this Chongzhen Tongbao coin resembles the style seen on coins minted after the Qianlong era, suggesting that it may date to the period between the reigns of Qianlong and Guangxu, when privately minted coins circulated among the people. However, the true nature of the coin remains uncertain and requires further evidence for corroboration and confirmation.

物件編號: A1677

年代: 公元 1627-1644 年

材質: 黃銅

尺寸: 19.5 x 19.5 mm

來源: 大城郵幣社 2016

這是一枚帶有明朝末代皇帝崇禎年號的方孔錢,這枚崇禎通寶的獨特之處在於背面帶有滿文「ᠪᠣᠣ ᠶᡠᠸᠠᠨ」即鑄造單位「寶源局」的銘文。

錢幣形制為方孔錢,正面按照上、下、右、左的順序鐫刻漢字「崇禎通寶」四字。錢幣背面的左右兩側,分別有滿文「ᠪᠣᠣ」(寶) 和「ᠶᡠᠸᠠᠨ」(源),即是清代主責建設的工部其鑄幣單位「寶源局」的簡稱。

關於這一枚背面帶有滿文的崇禎通寶其來歷和確切的鑄造時間,在學界和收藏界皆有豐富的討論和推測。過去最為採信的一種說法是,這種背面帶有滿文的崇禎通寶是入關後的第一位清朝皇帝順治,為了攏絡漢人民心沿用前朝崇禎的年號所鑄造的錢幣。

然而上述說法遭到不同的證據反駁,第一個證據為順治任內首次在錢幣背面鑄造滿文的年份為公元1657年,距離滿洲人入主中原的公元1644年已有一段時間。這一段時間鑄造的順治通寶,形制多是模仿明朝在背面留白或鐫刻漢字,並沒有在背面鐫刻滿文。除此之外,自公元1657年鑄造背面帶有滿文的順治通寶,其滿文書法和崇禎通寶出現的滿文有明顯的差異。

因此有學者以滿文書法作推測,這一枚崇禎通寶的滿文體例和乾隆以後出現在錢幣上的書法較為相似,將其年代定於乾隆至光緒之間,即民間私自鑄造流通的錢幣。但是真相究竟如何仍待更多的資料佐證和確認。

類似/相同物件 請看:

臺灣 國家歷史博物館 National Museum of History

https://collections.culture.tw/nmh_collectionsweb/collection.aspx?GID=M6MCM2MZMXM2

日本 貨幣博物館 Currency Museum, Bank Of Japan

https://www.imes.boj.or.jp/cm/research/nihonkahei_1/001001/036/2126_159/html/001.html

更多相關訊息請參考:

楊建東,〈崇禎背滿文錢是私鑄品〉,《南京市:東南文化》,(1992),頁183

王永生,《鑄幣三千年:50枚錢幣串聯的極簡中國史》(台北市:聯經出版社,2024)

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