Item number: A3330

Year: AD 1647

Material: Bronze

Size: 27.5 x 27.5 x 0.7 mm

Weight: 3.5 g

Provenance: Spink 2023

This is a bronze coin reissued under the reign title “Dashun” of Zhang Xianzhong by the remnants of his “Great Western” regime, led by Sun Kewang and others, following their retreat into the Yunnan–Guizhou region during the late Ming dynasty.

The coin adopts the traditional square-holed round form typical of the Han cultural sphere. The obverse inscription reads “Da Shun Tong Bao” in regular script (kaishu). The calligraphy is rigid, with distinctly angular turns, and the character “Tong” (通) is especially unorthodox and inconsistent with established calligraphic conventions. In this character, the “Yong” (甬) component begins with a “マ”-shaped stroke that bends upward to form a rhomboid shape. The “辶” radical ends in a folded sweeping stroke. All four characters are connected to the square central hole (chuan) and linked to the surrounding rim (lianlun).

On the reverse, beneath the square hole appears the character “Gong” (工), indicating the mint bureau. The script is relatively small, and the strokes are fine. The character “Gong” likely refers to the Ministry of Works among the traditional Six Ministries, suggesting that the relocated Great Western court retained a certain degree of institutional structure. In the context of various late Ming regimes, the Ministry of Works—traditionally tasked with construction and public works—was largely stripped of its original functions amid wartime instability. Instead, it came to represent a special-purpose administrative organ, functioning in opposition to the Ministry of Revenue (戶部), which was responsible for civilian economic affairs. Within military regimes, such “Gong” bureaus were commonly tasked with fundraising for the army and managing coin production.

According to the “History of Ming – Biographies of the Bandit Rebels,” in the seventeenth year of the Chongzhen reign (AD 1644), Zhang Xianzhong captured Sichuan and proclaimed himself King of Great Western, later declaring himself Emperor and establishing Chengdu as the Western Capital, adopting the reign title “Dashun.” He ordered the confiscation of Buddhist statues from temples and bronze wares from the princely mansions to cast “Da Shun Tong Bao” coins. Possibly due to this, the coins are noted for their excellent bronze quality and are praised in numismatic catalogues for their lustre and fine craftsmanship. In addition to coins with blank reverses, there exist variants with reverse inscriptions such as “Gong” (工), “Hu” (戶), and “Chuan” (川), of which the latter two are particularly rare.

Peng Zunsi’s “Shu Bi” records: “Civilians were ordered to display placards declaring themselves loyal subjects of Dashun, affixing newly minted Dashun coins to the tops of their hats.” Similarly, Shen Xunwei’s “Summary of the Sichuan Calamity” notes: “The bandits ordered that all towns and villages declare loyalty to Dashun; there was no need to fear. Every household was issued a Dashun coin, and if worn on the head, one would be spared.” Thus, the “Da Shun Tong Bao” became a visible symbol of allegiance. Records from as late as the Qianlong era mention that these coins were still fashioned into hair ornaments for women. Moreover, it is said that sailors would carry these coins as charms to bring good fortune on voyages.

Following Zhang Xianzhong’s death, his four adopted sons—Sun Kewang, Li Dingguo, Liu Wenxiu, and Ai Nengqi—retreated to Guizhou. At the time, the native chieftain Sha Dingzhou rebelled against the Ming and occupied the residence of the Duke of Qian in Kunming, prompting the duke Mu Tianbo to flee to Chuxiong (present-day Chuxiong City in the Chuxiong Yi Autonomous Prefecture). Under the pretext of aiding the duke, Sun Kewang’s forces entered Yunnan and suppressed the native chieftains. During this period, they continued to cast “Da Shun Tong Bao” coins in the name of Zhang Xianzhong. Under their authoritarian rule, they abolished the use of cowrie currency—which had circulated in Yunnan for over a thousand years—and replaced it with copper coinage to concentrate military funds. Coins from Sun Kewang’s minting series all bear the “Gong” (工) mint mark on the reverse, and the “Tong” character consistently features a rhomboid head with a folded stroke at the base. This continued minting of “Da Shun Tong Bao” lasted less than a year, as Sun subsequently declared himself ruler and began issuing coins under the title “Xing Chao Tong Bao” (興朝通寶).

Zhang Xianzhong was one of the most prominent leaders of peasant uprisings in the late Ming dynasty, active primarily in the Huguang and Shaanxi regions. Alongside Li Zicheng, he was widely known—popularly referred to as “King Chuang Li Zicheng and the Eighth King Zhang Xianzhong.” In the final years of the Chongzhen reign, Zhang shifted his military operations to the southwest and established the Great Western regime in Chengdu, assuming the title “King of Great Western” and adopting the reign title “Dashun.” After entering Sichuan, his forces carried out large-scale massacres in various locations, later referred to as the “Slaughter of Shu,” with particularly severe atrocities in cities such as Chengdu and Chongqing. In the fourth year of the Shunzhi reign (AD 1647), Zhang Xianzhong was killed by Qing forces at Mount Fenghuang.

Sun Kewang, originally named Sun Kewang (孫可旺), was one of Zhang Xianzhong’s adopted sons. After Zhang proclaimed the Great Western regime, Sun served as General Pacifying the East and Military Commissioner, holding supreme authority over both civil and military affairs. Following Zhang’s death, the remaining forces retreated under Sun’s leadership into the Yunnan–Guizhou region and later nominally pledged allegiance to the Southern Ming Yongli regime, claiming to “support the Ming and resist the Qing,” though in practice acting independently. In the fourteenth year of the Shunzhi reign (Yongli year eleven, AD 1657), Sun Kewang entered into civil war with Li Dingguo and, upon his defeat, fled. He died in AD 1660, reportedly either from illness or by being shot by Qing troops.

物件編號: A3330

年代: 公元 1647 年

材質: 青銅

尺寸: 27.5 x 27.5 x 0.7 mm

重量: 3.5 g

來源: 斯賓克拍賣行 2023

這是一枚明朝末年，四川張獻忠「大西」政權餘部孫可望等退入雲貴後，以張獻忠「大順」年號所續鑄的銅錢。

錢幣形制為漢文化圈傳統的方孔圓錢。錢面錢文「大順通寶」楷書。文字僵硬，折角明顯，又以「通」字最不合書法法度。「通」字「甬」旁字首「マ」橫劃上折，呈菱形。「辶」旁底捺折筆。四字均接穿連輪。

錢幕錢穿下方錢文「工」字紀局。字體較小，筆畫較細。「工」當為六部中之工部，或許表示退入雲貴的大西朝廷仍維持了一定的建制。明末諸多政權之「工」部，其專責營造建設等功能事宜在亂世中未被重視，而是強調與專責一般民生的戶部相對立的、專事特辦的性質，於軍事政權則多為軍方籌款與鑄錢。

據《明史·流賊傳》載，崇禎十七年(公元1644年)，張獻忠攻克四川後，自稱大西國王，同年改自稱大西皇帝，以成都為西京，改元大順。其並沒收寺廟的佛像和藩王府內的銅器以鑄造「大順通寶」。或許是因此銅質頗佳，錢譜中皆以光潤精整著稱。錢幣除了光背版本外，尚有背面鐫刻「工、戶、川」字的種類，其中以「戶、川」兩者最為罕見。

彭遵泗《蜀碧》載，「令民間家懸順民號帖，以大順新錢釘之帽頂。」沈荀蔚《蜀難敘略》中亦載，「賊下令曰，凡爾處市鎮俱順民，毋恐，家給大順錢，綴於首可不死。」大順通寶此時成為是否「順民」的標誌。直到乾隆年間，仍有「至今得者作婦女簪花」的紀錄。另外據稱出海的水手會收藏此錢作為花錢，以求好運。

張獻忠被殺後，其四位義子孫可望、李定國、劉文秀、艾能奇退守貴州。恰逢土司沙定州起兵叛明，攻占昆明黔國公府，黔國公沐天波逃奔楚雄(今楚雄彝族自治州楚雄市)。孫可望部借援黔國兵之名入滇，彈壓當地土司。在此過程中，續鑄張獻忠之「大順通寶」，並在高壓統治下，徹底廢除行用有千年之久的雲南貝幣，改行銅錢，以聚斂軍資。孫可望「大順通寶」皆背工字紀局，「通」字皆菱頭折底。續鑄「大順通寶」不及一年，因自稱國主，改鑄「興朝通寶」

張獻忠，為明末重要的農民起義領袖之一。活躍於湖廣、陝西一帶。與李自成齊名，時稱「闖王李自成，八大王張獻忠」。崇禎末年轉戰西南，於四川成都建立大西政權，自稱大西王，年號「大順」。入蜀後，張軍在多地進行大規模屠殺，後世有「屠蜀」之稱，尤以成都、重慶等地最為慘烈。順治四年(公元1647年)，張獻忠在鳳凰山遇清軍被殺。

孫可望，原名孫可旺，張獻忠義子。張獻忠建號大西後，孫可望以平東將軍暨監軍之身位列群將之首，節制文武。張獻忠死後，餘部在義子孫可望領導下南撤，進入雲貴地區，隨後歸義南明永曆政權，號「扶明抗清」，實則自行其是。清順治十四年(永曆十一年，公元1657年)，孫可望與李定國發生內戰，敗後出奔。公元1660年病死，一說為清軍射殺。