Item number: A2758

Year: AD 1854-1864

Material: Paktong

Size: 22.1 x 22.0 x 0.9 mm

Weight: 3.2 g

Provenance: Da Chen Stamps and Coins Collection 2019

This is a copper coin purportedly issued under the regime of the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom in its fourth year, corresponding to AD 1854 (Xianfeng 4), but it is likely a forgery.

The coin adheres to the traditional design of round coins with a square hole, as seen throughout the Sinosphere. The obverse bears the inscription “Taiping Tianguo” (“Taiping Heavenly Kingdom”), read vertically from top to bottom and right to left, in a style approximating regular script. The characters “Tai”, “Ping”, and “Tian” are linked to the outer rim. The character “Tian” (“Heaven”) is written with a longer upper horizontal stroke and a shorter lower stroke, reflecting reverence for the Heavenly Father. The character “Guo” (“Kingdom”) appears in an archaic variant “囯”, substituting the radical “王” (king) in place of “玉” (jade), symbolising the belief that Jehovah had conferred kingship upon Hong Xiuquan, the Heavenly King, thereby placing the king at the centre of the kingdom. According to the Imperially Sanctioned Catalogue of Reverential Avoidance, all official documents adhered to this usage, and the character “囯” was exclusively reserved for internal reference; foreign states were referred to as “郭”. The coin is composed of what is referred to as “white copper”. While the modern definition of white copper refers specifically to a copper-nickel alloy—documented as early as the Qianlong reign—whether this specimen conforms to such a nickel-based composition, or rather represents the traditional form of white copper comprising high-tin bronze, brass with zinc, lead, or arsenic, remains a question requiring further metallurgical analysis.

The reverse of the coin bears the inscription “Shengbao” (“Sacred Treasure”) in horizontal alignment, read from right to left. “Shengbao” was a denomination coined by the Taiping regime and has no precedent in previous dynasties. The term “Sheng” (“Sacred”) was strictly reserved for the Heavenly Father and the Heavenly King, signifying that the coin was issued under divine authority. However, the strokes of the characters on both the obverse and reverse are thin and feeble, lacking structural coherence, and the thickness within individual strokes is inconsistent. The inner rim is misaligned and off-centre, contrasting starkly with the finely executed outer rim, suggesting inconsistency and possible forgery. Furthermore, both sides of the coin display traces of “yantai”—a smoke-blackening process used to artificially age coins—which has partially flaked off over time. The coin may be a recast or re-engraved replica and is unlikely to be genuine.

In AD 1853 (Xianfeng 3), the Taiping army captured Nanjing and established it as their capital under the name “Tianjing” (“Heavenly Capital”). From this base, the Taiping regime instituted court rituals and administrative structures, promulgated the Heavenly Land System to implement land redistribution, and began minting currency for military purposes, which commenced the following year. The initial issues were of high quality, clearly distinguishable from the devalued large coins and paper currency recklessly issued by the Qing court since the Daoguang era. Nonetheless, despite the circulation of these coins, few dared to use them, as the Heavenly Land System abolished private property and criminalised the possession of more than ten coins. Merchants, wary of dealings with a hostile regime, also refrained from engaging in trade. However, as the Taiping forces expanded their territory and influence, Taiping coinage began to spread from the Hunan-Hubei region to surrounding areas, and persisted even within Qing-controlled zones despite official prohibitions.

Due to the absence of unified coinage regulations in Tianjing, and the decentralised authority exercised by various princes in later years, coinage practises varied widely across the Taiping domains. In terms of materials, coins were made from red copper, purple copper, white copper, gold, silver, lead, iron, and tin. Based on inscriptions and physical forms, Taiping coins can be broadly classified into six categories: large denomination coins; coins with “Taiping Tianguo” on the obverse and no reverse inscription; coins bearing the inscription “Tianguo Tongbao”; coins with “Taiping” or “Tianguo” on the obverse and “Shengbao” inscribed vertically on the reverse; coins with “Taiping Tianguo” on the obverse and “Shengbao” also inscribed vertically on the reverse; and coins with “Taiping Tianguo” on the obverse and “Shengbao” inscribed horizontally on the reverse. The script used is predominantly Song-style, followed by regular script.

After the establishment of the Republic of China, the Taiping Rebellion came to be viewed as a precursor to anti-Qing revolution and republican thought. Its legends and anecdotes gained widespread popularity, and artefacts attributed to the movement were frequently counterfeited to satisfy collector demand. As noted by Wei Juxian in History of Chinese Archaeology, “In past years, the Guangxi provincial government collected historical materials related to the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom, and merchants in Hangzhou seized the opportunity to mass-produce forged Taiping coins for sale.” The present specimen may have been produced during that time.

The Taiping Heavenly Kingdom was the largest mass uprising in mid-19th century China, founded by Hong Xiuquan. It originated with the Jintian Uprising in Guangxi and was rooted in the doctrines of the God Worshipping Society, advocating anti-Qing sentiments and the restoration of Han rule through the establishment of a “Heavenly Kingdom of Great Peace”. The regime combined theocratic and autocratic rule, appointing five principal kings—East, West, South, North, and Wing—to oversee centralised governance under military command. Its political appeal stemmed from a confluence of social unrest, economic hardship, and religious zeal, enabling it to expand rapidly and shake the foundations of Qing rule. Despite early military successes, internal divisions, external pressures, and systemic contradictions led to its eventual downfall when Tianjing was captured in AD 1864 (Tongzhi 3) by the Xiang Army under Zeng Guofan. Nonetheless, the movement exposed profound societal contradictions and presented reformist ideals that later inspired revolutionary organisations such as the Revive China Society and the Tongmenghui.

物件編號: A2758

年代: 公元 1854-1864 年

材質: 白銅

尺寸: 22.1 x 22.0 x 0.9 mm

重量: 3.2 g

來源: 大城郵幣社 2019

這是一枚清末太平天國政權，於年號太平天國四年，即咸豐四年(公元1854年)始鑄之「太平天國聖寶」銅錢，應為仿製品。

錢幣形制為和文化圈傳統之方孔圓錢。錢面錢文為國號暨年號「太平天國」，自上而下，自右而左對讀，大約為楷書。「太」、「平」、「天」三字連輪。「天」字二橫上長下短，以表虔敬天父。而「國」字簡寫為古暨有之異體字「囯」，從「王」旁，取爺(耶和華)封天王(洪秀全)，王居國中之意。按《欽定敬避字樣》，一切文書文字皆照准使用，其中「囯」字更是只準自用，他國稱「郭」。銅質為白銅，現代白銅定義之銅鎳合金於乾隆年間已有確載，但是否為鎳白銅，抑或乃傳統白銅之高錫、鋅、鉛、砷之青銅、黃銅，則有待技術分析。

錢背錢文為錢名「聖寶」，橫書，由右至左順讀。「聖寶」為太平天國創制之通貨，歷朝未見。「聖」字於制為天父、天王專用，不得僭越，乃表此錢為天王專授之意。錢面背六字筆畫細弱，結構渙散，一筆之中粗細亦不均勻。錢面背內廓歪斜，重心偏移，惟外輪肉好精整，不似內廓及文字，相互矛盾。加以兩面煙炱——即為造假而煙燻錢幣以製造之灰黑斑——反因時間推移而剝落。或為翻鑄，或為改刻，當非正品。

咸豐三年(公元1853年)，太平軍克金陵，乃定都，稱「天京」(今南京)。太平天國於此建置朝儀政制，頒《天朝田畝制度》以均田，並鼓鑄錢幣，以作軍用，次年乃成。初鑄頗為精美，頗有與道光以降，清廷濫鑄濫發之虛值大錢、鈔票一別而勝之意。但錢幣雖鑄行卻無人敢用，緣因《天朝田畝制度》廢除私有財產，「私藏至十文即有罪」，商賈因兩方敵對，亦不敢與之交易。但隨領土擴張，聲勢壯大，太平制錢逐漸自兩湖地區向四方流布，雖清廷治下亦禁之不絕。同時，因天京並無規定具體貨幣形制，加以後期諸王各自為政，就地鑄錢，太平制錢形式多元，以材料言，有紅銅、紫銅、白銅、金銀幣、鉛鐵錫錢等。以錢文及形制言，當可分六大類：大錢、面太平天國背無聖寶錢、天國通寶錢、面太平或天國背縱書聖寶錢、面太平天國背縱書聖寶錢、面太平天國橫書聖寶錢等。字體多宋體、其次楷書。民國建立後，太平天國運動被視為反清及革命的先驅，其傳說與軼聞廣為風靡。太平天國之文物，也多遭偽造，以投時好。更有甚者，如衛聚賢於《中國考古學史》中所記：「廣西省政府於昔年蒐集太平天國史料，杭州商人乘此偽造大批太平天國銅錢以售。」此文所記之錢或為此時所鑄。

太平天國為十九世紀中葉中國最大規模之民變政權，由洪秀全創建。其興起肇始於廣西金田起義，倡言拜上帝教，主張反清復漢、創建「太平天國」。制度上採神權與政權合一之體制，設有東、西、南、北、翼五王，實行軍政合一、集權中央之統治。其政治訴求深受時局動盪、民生困苦與宗教情懷交織影響，遂能迅速擴張，聲勢一度震動清廷。雖屢建奇功，然因內部掣肘、外圍壓力與統治矛盾重重，終於同治三年(公元1864年)為曾國藩率湘軍攻陷天京而告終。然其所揭示之社會矛盾與改革理想，啟發了後來的興中會、同盟會等革命團體。