Item number: A3351

Year: AD 1646-1650

Material: Brass

Size: 24.3 x 24.1 x 0.9 mm

Weight: 2.75 g

Provenance: Spink 2023

This is a brass coin cast and circulated under the reign of the Yongli Emperor of the Southern Ming, bearing the inscription “Yongli Tongbao.”

The coin follows the traditional form of a round coin with a square central hole, characteristic of the numismatic conventions within the Sinosphere. The obverse inscription “Yongli Tongbao” is written in regular script (kaishu), with the four characters arranged vertically from top to bottom and read from right to left. The character “永” appears in a variant form resembling “𣱵”, composed of the elements “two” (二) above “water” (水), and is slanted leftward with its weight leaning right, a form referred to as “leaning Yong” (俯永). In the character “曆”, the “厂” radical is followed below by two “grain” (禾) components. The “甬” component of the character “通” begins with a “マ”-shaped stroke, in which the horizontal line rises at both ends and dips in the middle; the “辶” radical ends with a curved press-stroke. The character “寶” features a simplified “缶” component written as “尔”, producing the variant form “寳”. A small break or puncture is present at the lower left corner of the square hole. On the reverse of the coin, above the central square hole, appears the character “留”, written in slightly smaller script.

The Yongli Tongbao series is known for its typological complexity and regional variation, with uneven degrees of rarity across specimens. Amid the chaos of the late Ming and early Qing periods, the Yongli Emperor lacked effective central control, and minting activities were largely conducted autonomously by military commanders and regional warlords who exercised de facto authority. As such, the coinage exhibits pronounced regional characteristics. Based on stylistic features and find locations, the coins can be broadly categorised into five groups: (1) those from Guangdong, often with reverse inscriptions such as “定” or “國”; (2) those from Guangxi, bearing characters such as “工”, “戶”, “督”, “留”, “粵”, “輔”, or “明”; (3) those from Yongzhou in Hunan, with reverses such as “工”, “戶”, “御”, “敕”, “部”, “督”, or “道”; (4) those from Yunnan and Guizhou, often struck as fractional silver equivalents, with reverses such as “五厘”, “一分”, or “工”; and (5) those from Fujian and Taiwan, which are typically plain on the reverse, some reportedly commissioned by Zheng Chenggong (Koxinga) and his son, and struck in Nagasaki, Japan. Among these, the Guangdong and Guangxi types appeared earliest, followed by those from southern Hunan, Yunnan-Guizhou, and finally Fujian-Taiwan. Minting in Taiwan reportedly continued the longest, ending only in AD 1683 with the surrender of Zheng Keshuang to the Qing. Earlier issues were mostly standard small-denomination coins (xiao ping qian), whereas later issues increasingly adopted debased standards, including overvalued fractional silver pieces and reduced weights and copper purity.

The reverse-inscribed types bearing “輔” or “留” are plausibly attributed to Qu Shisi, who served as military governor of Guilin during this period. According to Xu Ming Jishi Benmo (續明紀事本末), Qu Shisi sustained his troops by managing salt transport and minting coins: “He relied on salt transport and coin casting to supply the army.” The Dongming Wenjian Lu (東明聞見錄) records that in order to fund the military, “he opened a mint, producing 20,000 taels per month… exchanging coins for salt, and salt for public use; land could be gradually developed, and resources slowly stabilised.” These references strongly suggest that the coins in question were indeed Yongli Tongbao, though whether they specifically correspond to the reverse “輔” or “留” types is not directly attested in historical records. During the Yongli reign, Qu Shisi appears to have been the sole official holding both the posts of Grand Secretary and Resident Minister of the auxiliary capital. Coins with the “輔” reverse tend to be broader and heavier than those with the “留” reverse, and may represent a double-denomination issue (折二錢).

Qu Shisi, a native of Changshu in Jiangsu, was a distinguished late-Ming statesman and member of the Donglin faction. He passed the imperial civil service examination in AD 1616 (the 44th year of the Wanli reign) and studied under Qian Qianyi. He served successively as magistrate of Yongfeng County in Ji’an Prefecture, Jiangxi, and as Censor in the Ministry of Revenue. During the Chongzhen reign, he was dismissed and later imprisoned amid partisan strife. After the fall of the Ming, he entered the service of the Southern Ming regime, serving the Hongguang, Longwu, and Yongli courts in succession. In AD 1644, he was appointed Vice Minister of the Right and concurrently Acting Censor-in-Chief of the Right for the Prefecture of Nanjing, and was assigned as Regional Inspector of Guangxi. In AD 1645, he supported the Prince of Gui’s accession to the throne as the Yongli Emperor. Qu was promoted to Vice Minister of Personnel and Grand Secretary of the East Pavilion, acting as Minister-in-Charge. In AD 1647, as Qing forces approached Guangdong, the Yongli Emperor fled westward to Quanzhou, while Qu volunteered to remain as Resident Minister in Guilin. The emperor formally appointed him Minister of War and Minister of Personnel, elevated him to Grand Tutor to the Crown Prince, and bestowed upon him a ceremonial sword for discretionary command. In office, Qu instituted strict military and administrative reforms and organised anti-Qing resistance, successfully repelling three separate Qing offensives on Guilin. In AD 1650, the Qing general Kong Youde advanced southward and achieved a series of rapid victories. As Guilin’s defensive lines collapsed, Qu was captured. Despite repeated attempts to persuade him to surrender, he remained steadfast and met his death with composure at the age of 61. He was posthumously honoured by the Southern Ming court with the title “Zhongxuan” (Loyal and Eminent) and was later enshrined in the Qing dynasty’s Shrine of Loyal Martyrs.

The Yongli Emperor, born Zhu Youlang, reigned from AD 1646 to 1662 and was the great-grandson of the Wanli Emperor (Zhu Yijun). In AD 1644, with the fall of Beijing to the rebel leader Li Zicheng, the Ming court collapsed. Remnant loyalists established the Southern Ming regime in Nanjing under the Hongguang Emperor, but he was captured and executed by the Qing in AD 1645. Several Ming princes, including the Princes of Lu, Tang, Gui, and others, each established rival regional regimes. The Prince of Tang later declared himself the Longwu Emperor, while the Prince of Gui, Zhu Youlang, was proclaimed emperor in Zhaoqing with the reign title “Yongli.” Internal divisions persisted even amid anti-Qing efforts, with frequent conflict among the various regimes. During his reign, Yongli’s court was forced to retreat westward, eventually reduced to holding parts of Yunnan and Guizhou, and increasingly reliant on military leaders such as Zheng Chenggong (Koxinga), Li Dingguo, and Sun Kewang. However, factional rivalry—particularly between Li and Sun—seriously undermined the resistance effort. In AD 1658, the Qing court dispatched Wu Sangui to lead a campaign into Yunnan. The Yongli Emperor fled to Burma and sought refuge with the Toungoo dynasty. In AD 1662, under Qing pressure, the Burmese king handed him over to Qing forces, and he was subsequently executed by strangulation in Kunming at the age of 39. With his death, the Ming dynasty came to a definitive end.

物件編號: A3351

年代: 公元 1646-1650 年

材質: 黃銅

尺寸: 24.3 x 24.1 x 0.9 mm

重量: 2.75 g

來源: 斯賓克拍賣行 2023

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」，字形左傾靠右，稱「俯永」；「曆」字「厂」旁下為二「禾」；「通」字「甬」旁字首寫為「マ」，橫劃兩端高中間低；「辶」旁底捺曲筆；「寶」字「缶」旁寫為「尔」，呈「寳」。錢穿左下方有一破孔。錢幕錢穿上方有錢文「留」，字體略小。

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。

永曆通寶背輔以及背留者可能為時任桂林留守的瞿式耜所鑄行。《續明紀事本末》載「式耜所恃運鹽、鼓鑄以飼諸軍」，《東明聞見錄》載其為籌軍餉「遂開錢局，月得二萬金……以錢易鹽、以鹽使民，地可漸闢，財可漸理。」所鑄當為永曆通寶無疑，而是否為背輔及背留錢則於史無載。永曆年間，身兼內閣大學士輔臣及陪都留守者，大約僅存瞿式耜一人。存世之背輔錢，幣徑、幣重多大於背留錢，或為折二錢。

瞿式耜，南直隸江蘇常熟人，是明末名臣與東林黨人。萬曆四十四年(公元1616年)進士，事錢謙益為師，歷任江西吉安府永豐縣令、戶科給事中等職，崇禎年間因黨爭坐黜，後更入獄。明亡後投身南明政權，歷仕弘光、隆武、永曆三朝。弘光元年(公元1644年)，瞿式耜得授應天府丞、右僉都御史，巡撫廣西。隆武二年(公元1645年)，擁桂王即位，是為永曆帝。瞿式耜得進吏部左侍郎東閣大學士，攝尚書事。永曆元年(公元1647)，清兵近粵，永曆帝西走全州，瞿式耜自請為桂林留守，永曆帝則以瞿式耜為兵部、吏部尚書，並進太子太傅、賜劍以便宜行事。他在任內嚴整軍政，積極組織抗清力量，使廣西成為南明抗清的重要基地之一，並三次擊退進犯桂林的清軍。永曆四年(公元1650年)定南王孔有德南下，連戰皆捷，兵鋒過處，已成孤城的桂林諸營逃散，瞿式耜被俘，清廷屢勸不降，最終殉國，年六十一。南明朝廷追諡為「忠宣」，清代亦將其列入忠義祠祀典。

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。