Item number: A3339

Year: AD 1646-1654

Material: Brass

Size: 23.5 x 24.5 mm

Weight: 3.7 g

Provenance:

1. Spink 2023

2. Dr. Werner Klaus Burger Collection

This is a brass coin known as Yongli Tongbao, minted during the reign of the Yongli Emperor of the Southern Ming dynasty.

The coin follows the traditional form of Chinese coinage within the Sinosphere—a round coin with a square central hole. The obverse features the inscription Yongli Tongbao written in regular script (kaishu), with the four characters read vertically from top to bottom and then horizontally from right to left. The character Yong (永) is structured in the form of “𣱵”, resembling the combination of “two” (二) and “water” (水), with its final left-falling stroke unusually long, a variant known as right-elongated water Yong (右長水). In the character Li (曆), the radical “厂” appears above two “禾” components. The character Tong (通) shows the “甬” radical beginning with “マ” written as “コ”, and the “辶” component contains two dots instead of the usual one. The character Bao (寶) has the “缶” radical written as “尔”, resulting in the variant form 寳. On the reverse side, above the square hole, appears the character Ding (定), written in a relatively larger script. The precise meaning of this inscription remains to be clarified.

Yongli Tongbao coins exist in numerous varieties, with wide variation in both form and quantity. Amidst the turmoil of the late Ming and early Qing period, the Yongli Emperor had little effective control over political affairs; most regional authorities, including military leaders and warlords, exercised de facto autonomy, including the minting of coins. As a result, these coins exhibit strong regional characteristics. Based on style and archaeological provenance, the coins are generally categorised into five types: (1) those from Guangdong, often bearing the reverse characters 定 or 國; (2) those from Guangxi, with reverses such as 工, 戶, 督, 留, 粵, 輔, and 明; (3) those from Yongzhou in Hunan, bearing 工, 戶, 御, 敕, 部, 督, or 道; (4) fractional silver-equivalent coins from Yunnan and Guizhou, bearing marks such as 五厘, 一分, or 工; and (5) plain-reverse coins from Fujian and Taiwan, some of which were reportedly commissioned by Zheng Chenggong (Koxinga) and his father, and minted in Nagasaki, Japan. The earliest coinage began in Guangdong and Guangxi, followed by southern Hunan, Yunnan-Guizhou, and finally Fujian-Taiwan, where production ceased only in AD 1683 upon Zheng Keshuang’s surrender to the Qing. Early issues were predominantly small denomination cash coins, while later examples include debased silver-equivalent and nominal “two-cash” coins, with a progressive decline in both weight and metal quality.

Coins bearing Ding on the reverse are stylistically similar to those bearing Guo (國), and both types are commonly unearthed in similar regions. The earliest numismatic catalogues classified these coins under the category of imperial edict coinage (敕文錢). During the Qianlong reign of the Qing dynasty, numismatist Weng Shupei, in his Collected Studies on Ancient Coins (Guquan Huikao), interpreted the reverse inscriptions of Yongli Tongbao coins as forming a twelve-character phrase: 「御敕督部道府，留粵輔明定國」, roughly translating to “By imperial edict, civil and military officials at various administrative levels are ordered to remain in Guangdong and Guangxi, to support the Ming (Southern Ming) and stabilise the state.” An alternative interpretation suggests that Ding and Guo refer to Southern Ming generals, specifically the remnants of the former Daxi regime under the command of Li Dingguo. Some scholars propose that the coins inscribed with Ding and Guo were cast by Li Dingguo during his military operations in Guangxi.

With respect to geographic attribution, there indeed existed a Dading Prefecture (大定府) in eastern Sichuan, established by Zhu Rongfan, a distant relative of the Prince of Chu. In AD 1649, Zhu Rongfan falsely claimed the title of Crown Prince of Chu, seized defeated Southern Ming troops at the frontline in Sichuan, and declared himself Regent of the Realm. He renamed Zhongzhou as Dading Prefecture and referred to his residence as the imperial palace. However, his pretence was later exposed, leading to the dispersal of his followers. Among his subordinates was Li Zhanchun, who later attempted to suppress the rebellion in exchange for clemency. That same year, Zhu Rongfan’s forces suffered a devastating defeat at the hands of Li Zhanchun’s troops. During his escape, Zhu was captured by local peasants and subsequently executed.

Li Dingguo, originally a general under Zhang Xianzhong during the late Ming period, later pledged allegiance to the Southern Ming and became a prominent anti-Qing military commander. Alongside Zheng Chenggong and Sun Kewang, he was regarded as one of the three main pillars of the Southern Ming resistance. Known for his military prowess, Li was hailed in his time as “a match for ten thousand men.” After the Yongli Emperor ascended the throne, Li remained loyal to the Southern Ming and formed a strategic alliance with Sun Kewang to oppose the Qing. In AD 1652, he achieved a major victory over Wu Sangui in Guizhou, temporarily recapturing Guangxi and Guizhou and greatly boosting morale. However, internal strife later emerged due to deteriorating relations with Sun, weakening the broader resistance. In AD 1654, Li launched another campaign into Guangdong but failed to reverse the decline, ultimately retreating to the Yunnan–Guizhou region. In AD 1658, as Qing forces advanced into Yunnan, he escorted the Yongli Emperor into Burma. Following the emperor’s capture and execution by the Qing in AD 1662, Li Dingguo died in Burma, reportedly from grief, at the age of 42.

The Yongli Emperor, personal name Zhu Youlang, reigned from AD 1646 to 1662. A great-grandson of the Wanli Emperor, he was the final sovereign of the Southern Ming. In AD 1644, rebel leader Li Zicheng captured Beijing, resulting in the collapse of the Ming central government. Surviving Ming loyalists established the Hongguang regime in Nanjing, continuing the dynasty in what is known as the Southern Ming. After the capture and execution of the Hongguang Emperor in AD 1645, various Ming princes—including the Princes of Lu, Tang, Rui, Jingjiang, and others—proclaimed regencies, ruling autonomously. The Prince of Tang later declared himself the Longwu Emperor, while the Prince of Gui, Zhu Youlang, was proclaimed emperor in Zhaoqing, adopting the reign title Yongli. Amid continued Qing advances, the Yongli regime was forced into successive retreats, ultimately confined to the Yunnan–Guizhou region. Its survival depended largely on military commanders such as Zheng Chenggong, Li Dingguo, and Sun Kewang. However, internal factionalism—particularly between Li and Sun—critically undermined the resistance. In AD 1658, the Qing court dispatched Wu Sangui to lead a campaign into Yunnan, prompting the Yongli Emperor to flee to Burma and seek asylum from the Toungoo dynasty. In AD 1662, under pressure from the Qing, the Burmese king surrendered him, and he was executed by strangulation in Kunming at the age of 39, marking the final end of the Ming dynasty.

物件編號: A3339

年代: 公元 1646-1654 年

材質: 黃銅

尺寸: 23.5 x 24.5 mm

重量: 3.7 g

來源:

1. 斯賓克拍賣行 2023

2. 布威納博士舊藏

這是南明永曆帝所鑄行之「永曆通寶」銅錢。

錢幣形制為漢文化圈傳統的方孔圓錢。錢面錢文「永曆通寶」楷書。四字由上至下，由右至左對讀。「永」字結構寫似「二、水」，呈「𣱵」，末劃撇較長，稱「右長水」；「曆」字「厂」旁下為二「禾」；「通」字「甬」旁字首「マ」寫為「コ」，「辶」旁點劃增為二點；「寶」字「缶」旁寫為「尔」，呈「寳」。錢幕錢穿上方有錢文「定」，字體較大。錢文含意待考。

永曆通寶的版別繁雜，存世量多寡不一。因為在明末清初的混亂時局下，永曆皇帝缺乏對於政局的實際掌握，多由實質控制地方的將領、軍閥自行統治和鑄幣，因此有強烈的地域性。永曆通寶依風格和出土區域劃分，大致為五類：一為廣東，多背「定、國」；二為廣西，有背「工、戶、督、留、粵、輔、明」者；三為湖南永州，有背「工、戶、御、敕、部、督、道」者；四為雲貴折銀錢，有背「五厘、一分、工」者；五為閩台，為光背者，有些由鄭成功父子委日本長崎所鑄。粵、桂鑄行最早，湘南、雲貴、閩臺在後，閩臺停鑄最晚，直到公元1683年鄭克塽降清。早期多為小平錢，後期多折銀錢、虛值折二錢，重量與銅質也不斷降低。

永曆通寶背定者與背國者風格類似，出土地域亦相近。錢譜最早將其列入「敕文錢」之一。清乾隆年間，翁樹培於《古泉匯考》將永曆通寶背文錢取十二字，列為「御敕督部道府，留粵輔明定國」，大約意為「永曆皇帝敕令各級文武官員，留守廣東廣西，輔佐大明(南明)，安定國家。」後另有一說指「定、國」為南明將領，前大西殘部李定國之意。又或「定、國」錢皆為李定國於廣西時所鑄。至於紀地，川東確有大定府，為楚王遠支朱容藩所設。公元1649年，朱容藩冒稱楚王世子，於四川截收南明前線敗兵，自稱監國。改忠州為大定府，稱所居為行宮。後遭揭破，部眾多逃散，麾下有李占春等，反欲討叛以贖罪。同年，朱容藩部與李占春部交戰，大敗。朱容藩逃亡過程中為土民擒獻，後被斬殺。

李定國，原為明末張獻忠麾下將領，後歸順南明，成為抗清名將，與鄭成功、孫可望並列為南明三大支柱人物。李定國軍事才能出眾，時人譽為「萬人敵」。永曆帝即位後，他效忠南明後，與孫可望聯手對抗清軍，曾於公元1652年在貴州擊潰吳三桂，收復廣西、貴州等地，聲勢一度大振。然而，隨著與孫可望關係惡化，內訌漸起，削弱抗清力量。公元1654年，李定國再次出征廣東，但未能挽回頹勢，後退守雲貴；公元1658年清軍進攻雲南，他護送永曆帝退入緬甸，公元1662年，永曆帝被清軍俘殺，李定國悲憤病逝於緬甸，終年42歲。

永曆帝，名朱由榔，公元1646至1662年在位，為明神宗朱翊鈞之曾孫，是南明最後一位皇帝。公元1644年，闖王李自成陷北京，明廷崩潰。餘部集於南京立弘光帝，續祚大明，史稱南明。公元1645年，弘光帝被俘殺。潞王、太子、益王、唐王、魯王、靖江王先後建立監國政權，各自為政。唐王後稱隆武帝，桂王朱由榔則在肇慶被擁立為帝，年號「永曆」，除抗清外，彼此更攻伐不斷。其統治期間，南明政權不斷西遷，勢力逐漸退縮至雲貴地區，主要依賴鄭成功、李定國、孫可望等抗清將領支撐。然而政權內部派系爭鬥激烈，尤其以李、孫二人之爭最為嚴重，嚴重削弱了抗清能力。公元1658年，清廷命吳三桂率軍入雲南，永曆帝逃入緬甸，向東吁王朝尋求庇護，公元1662年，清軍逼迫緬王交出永曆帝，遂被押解至昆明絞殺，時年39歲，明朝至此滅亡。