Item number: A1710

Year: AD 1644-1645

Material: Brass

Size: 37.0 x 37.0 x 1.7 mm

Weight: 13.35 g

Manufactured by: Mint of Xi’an

Provenance: Da Chen Stamps and Coins Collection 2014

This is a brass Yongchang Tongbao (永昌通寶) Zhewu (折五) large denomination coin minted by Li Zicheng’s Dashun regime during the late Ming period. Zhewu, synonymous with Dangwu (當五), indicates that the coin carried a face value equivalent to five standard Xiaoping (小平) coins. The casting of Zhewu coins is generally believed to have occurred later than that of the Xiaoping coins and was primarily intended to amass fiscal revenue during a period of escalating financial strain.

The obverse of the coin bears the four characters Yongchang Tongbao (永昌通寶) arranged in a top-bottom, right-left reading order, rendered in a style combining elements of both kaishu (楷書, regular script) and lishu (隸書, clerical script). Both the obverse and reverse exhibit an outer rim and an inner border, with the outer rim being broad and the inner border narrow. The reverse side is plain without inscriptions. Notably, the character Yong (永) is written in the Ershui (二水, two-water-stroke) form. This alteration of the stroke structure reflects Li Zicheng’s adherence to the Five Elements Cycle (Wude Zhongshi Shuo, 五德終始說), whereby he symbolically replaced the Ming dynasty’s fire element with the Dashun regime’s water element, signifying dynastic succession. This Ershui form of Yong became the most prevalent variant in inscriptions on stelae, coin legends, and other surviving artefacts from Li’s rule.

Due to the transitory nature of Li Zicheng’s regime and its constant movement, coin minting took place at several locations, including Xi’an, Shanxi, Beijing, and Xiangyang. The brevity and instability of his rule resulted in considerable variation in coin styles and mould patterns. In modern Chinese numismatics, Dashun coins are classified into over a dozen varieties. By denomination, they are categorized into Xiaoping (小平, standard unit) and Zhewu (折五, valued at five units). By structure, they are divided into standard type (正樣), large type without inner border (離郭大樣), and small type (小樣). By character style, numerous variants are identified, including er-shui yong (二水永), dot yong (點永), slanted shui (斜水), narrow chang (狹昌), square-head Tong (方頭通), long tong (長通), twin-dot Tong (雙點通), Dissimilar-feet Bao (異足寶), joined-feet Bao (並足寶), downward-slanting Bao (俯寶), long characters (長字), and small characters (小字) styles. The coin described herein is a standard type Zhewu (折五正樣), which was the most widely circulated version during the brief period of relative stability following Li Zicheng’s proclamation as emperor.

The design and form of Dashun coins, including their structure, weight, dimensions, and stylistic features, largely emulated those of late Ming coinage, particularly the Chongzhen Tongbao (崇禎通寶) coins minted during the reign of Emperor Chongzhen.

In the first month of the 16th year of Chongzhen’s reign (AD January 1643), Li Zicheng proclaimed himself Xinshun Wang (新順王, King of New Shun) in Xiangyang and sought to pacify and resettle displaced populations. In the first month of the following year (AD January 1644), he declared himself emperor in Xi’an, establishing the Dashun (大順, Great Shun) regime and adopting the era name Yongchang (永昌). In March of the same year, Li Zicheng entered the Forbidden City, prompting Emperor Chongzhen to commit suicide on Coal Hill (Jingshan) in Beijing, marking the fall of the Ming dynasty in what became known as the Jia Shen Incident (甲申之變).

Shortly thereafter, Wu Sangui, a Ming general, allied with the Qing forces and opened the Shanhai Pass, leading to the joint destruction of Li Zicheng’s army. In AD April 1644, Li personally led his forces against Wu Sangui, but at the Battle of Yipaishi (一片石之戰), the combined Qing and Wu forces decisively defeated the Dashun army. Following a series of subsequent defeats, Li Zicheng’s forces collapsed. In the summer of AD 1645, during a retreat through Hubei, Li Zicheng was killed, and his remaining troops ultimately surrendered to the Southern Ming regime.

物件編號: A1710

年代: 公元 1644-1645 年

材質: 黃銅

尺寸: 37.0 x 37.0 x 1.7 mm

重量: 13.35 g

製造地: 西安

來源: 大城郵幣社 2014

這是一枚明末「闖王」李自成之大順政權所鑄，黃銅質「永昌通寶」折五大錢。折五即當五，為一枚折五錢之面額值五枚小平錢之意。折五錢的鑄造應稍晚於小平錢，為情勢愈劣時聚斂財賦之用。

銅幣的正面為「永昌通寶」四字對讀，筆法楷隸兼具。兩面外輪內廓均有，外輪寬而方廓窄，背光素無文。永字寫法為「二水」，應為李自成據五德終始說，宣稱當以大順水德代大明火德，因而改變筆劃，該寫法也在碑記、錢文等遺物中最為普遍。

李自成之鑄幣地點因其政權的移動主要有西安、山西、北京、襄陽四處，因其政權反覆而速亡，鑄幣模範也十分多變。於當代中國錢幣學中，大約可分為十數品，依面額可分為小平錢、折五，依結構分為正樣、離郭大樣、小樣，依字形分為二水永、點永、斜水、狹昌、方頭通、長通、雙點通、異足寶、並足寶、俯寶、長字、小字等。本文所述錢幣應為折五正樣，是李自成稱帝後，後方短暫安定時期流布最廣之版本。大致上，大順政權之鑄幣，其形制如結構、重量，尺寸、風格等仍多模仿明末，尤其是崇禎鑄幣。

崇禎十六年(公元1643年)正月，李自成在襄陽稱「新順王」，招撫流民。崇禎十七年(公元1644年)正月，李自成在西安稱帝，國號大順，改元永昌。同年三月，李自成入紫禁城，崇禎帝自縊於北京煤山，是為甲申之變，明朝滅亡。吳三桂引清兵入關，合殲闖軍。公元1644年四月，李自成親征吳三桂，於一片石之戰中，清軍和山海關吳三桂軍擊敗大順軍，此後大順屢戰屢敗。公元1645年夏，李自成於湖北敗退時身亡，餘部降南明。