Item number: A2679

Year: AD 1678

Material: Brass

Size: 35.6 x 35.4 x 1.7 mm

Weight: 11.1 g

Provenance: Da Chen Stamps and Coins Collection 2014

This coin is believed to be a ten-cash “Zhaowu Tongbao” issued in yellow brass, cast by Wu Sangui, Emperor of the Wu Zhou regime, in AD 1678 (the seventeenth year of the Kangxi reign), during the founding of his reign title “Zhaowu.” The coin’s form closely resembles that of Ming dynasty coinage.

The obverse features a prominent outer rim, which is comparatively broad, and a well-defined inner rim surrounding the square central hole. The inscription “Zhaowu Tongbao” (昭武通寶) is written in seal script, read vertically from top to bottom and right to left.

The reverse also contains both an outer and an inner rim, with no additional markings or inscriptions. A variant of this coin displays the inscription “Yi Fen” (壹分) on the reverse, written in seal script and read from left to right. The marking “Yi Fen” indicates that the coin was a form of fiduciary silver currency (quan yin qian), with a nominal value equivalent to one fen of silver. Coins of this type have been unearthed in regions such as Qingyang, Gansu.

Although the “Zhaowu Tongbao” shares physical characteristics with late Ming coinage and follows the late Ming monetary model of using silver as the principal currency and copper as subsidiary coinage, its designation as a “quan yin qian”—a coin with a fixed silver-to-cash ratio—reflects a policy initiated during the Shunzhi reign of the Qing dynasty. In AD 1645 (the second year of the Shunzhi reign), the state formally set a standard rate of ten copper coins to one fen of silver, identical to the valuation used in the “Zhaowu Tongbao.”

Wu Sangui (AD 1612–1678) was originally a general stationed in Liaodong during the final years of the Ming dynasty. In a pivotal moment, he opened the gates at Shanhai Pass, allowing Qing forces to enter and subsequently aid in defeating the rebel leader Li Zicheng. Wu then surrendered to the Qing and was granted the title of Prince of Pingxi, assuming control over Yunnan. To secure the southwestern frontier, the early Qing established the Three Feudatories, granting Wu Sangui, Shang Kexi, and Geng Jingzhong semi-autonomous military and fiscal control over their respective territories. Over time, their power expanded and came to pose a serious threat to central authority. In the early Kangxi reign, the Qing court resolved to abolish the feudatories. In response, Wu Sangui launched a rebellion in AD 1673 under the banner of “opposing the Qing and restoring the Ming.” By AD 1677, due to military setbacks, Shang and Geng surrendered to the Qing. In AD 1678, in an effort to rally his forces, Wu Sangui declared himself emperor, founded the “Zhou” state, adopted the reign title “Zhaowu,” and established his capital in Hengzhou. This regime is referred to by historians as the Wu Zhou regime. While it claimed to restore the Ming, the Wu Zhou government was in practise a militarised regime centred on the Wu family, with fiscal operations supported by coin issuance and territorial control. Wu Sangui died of illness in the same year and was succeeded by his grandson Wu Shifan. However, the regime rapidly collapsed and was annihilated by Qing forces in AD 1681. Wu Sangui and the Wu Zhou regime have remained controversial historical figures—viewed by some as treacherous usurpers, by others as representatives of a transitional epoch.

物件編號: A2679

年代: 公元 1678 年

材質: 黃銅

尺寸: 35.6 x 35.4 x 1.7 mm

重量: 11.1 g

來源: 大城郵幣社 2014

此錢應為吳周皇帝吳三桂於康熙十七年(公元1678年)，建元昭武時所鑄之「昭武通寶」當十，黃銅質，形制與明錢類似。

錢面錢緣具外輪，外輪較闊，錢穿具內廓。錢文為「昭武通寶」篆書，由上至下、由右至左對讀。錢背亦具外輪內廓，光素無文。

錢背亦具外輪內廓，錢文「壹分」篆書，由左至右順讀。「壹分」標示此錢為權銀錢，值白銀一分。該特徵之昭武通寶於甘肅慶陽等地曾出土。

昭武通寶雖形制頗類明錢，貨幣政策亦延續晚明以銀為主幣，以銅為輔幣的作法。但固定銀錢相權比例的「權銀錢」，實為順治朝以來之貨幣發行政策。順治二年(公元1645年)，定每十文當銀一分，正與昭武通寶相同。

吳三桂(公元1612–1678年)，原為明末遼東駐防大將，後於山海關開關引清兵入關，協助清軍攻滅李自成，遂降清廷，得封平西王，鎮守雲南。清初為穩定西南，設三藩制，分別封吳三桂、尚可喜、耿精忠為藩王，給予其軍政自主與稅收特權。然三藩勢力日益坐大，構成對中央政權之威脅。康熙初年，清廷決意撤藩，吳三桂遂於公元1673年以「反清復明」為號召起兵，發動三藩之亂。公元1677年，因戰事不利，耿、尚氏先後降清。公元1678年，吳三桂為振奮軍心，自立為帝，建號「周」，年號昭武，定都衡州，史稱吳周政權。吳周政權雖號稱復明，實則以吳氏家族為核心，以軍事控制地方、鑄行錢幣以支撐財政。吳三桂於同年病逝，其孫吳世璠繼位，但政權迅速敗退，至公元1681年為清軍所滅。吳三桂及吳周政權被後世視為亂臣逆子或時代過渡的象徵，頗具爭議。