Item number: A3359

Year: AD 1646-1653

Material: Brass

Size: 25.7 x 25.7 x 1.1 mm

Weight: 3.15 g

Provenance: Spink 2023

This is a brass coin of Yongli Tongbao minted under the authority of the Yongli Emperor of the Southern Ming dynasty.

The coin follows the traditional square-holed round shape characteristic of the Han cultural sphere. The inscription on the obverse, Yongli Tongbao, is written in clerical script. The four characters are arranged vertically from top to bottom and read from right to left. The structure of the character “永” resembles a combination of “二” and “水,” forming the variant “𣱵,” with the first stroke rendered as a horizontal line. In the character “曆,” the “厂” radical is followed below by two “木” components. The character “通” begins with the “甬” component written with an initial stroke resembling “コ,” while the “辶” radical is composed of two elongated dots and a single turning stroke. The character “寶” is comparatively larger, with the “缶” radical written as “尔.” Above the square hole on the reverse appears the character “部,” which is rendered in a smaller script.

The Yongli Tongbao exists in a wide variety of versions, with differing quantities preserved. Due to the political turmoil of the late Ming and early Qing periods, the Yongli Emperor lacked effective control over the government, and actual authority rested with regional generals and warlords, who governed independently and minted their own coins. As a result, the coinage displays strong regional characteristics. Based on stylistic features and archaeological finds, the coins may be roughly classified into five groups: those associated with Guangdong, often bearing the reverse characters “定” or “國”; those from Guangxi, with reverse inscriptions such as “工,” “戶,” “督,” “留,” “粵,” “輔,” and “明”; those from Yongzhou in Hunan, with reverses marked “工,” “戶,” “御,” “敕,” “部,” “督,” and “道”; those from Yunnan and Guizhou, often used as substitutes for silver, with legends such as “五厘,” “一分,” and “工”; and those from Fujian and Taiwan, usually with a plain reverse, some of which were struck in Nagasaki by order of Zheng Chenggong and his son. The earliest issues were minted in Guangdong and Guangxi, followed by those in southern Hunan, Yunnan and Guizhou, and finally Fujian and Taiwan. Minting in Fujian and Taiwan ceased last, continuing until AD 1683, when Zheng Keshuang surrendered to the Qing. Early coins were mostly xiaoping (standard small denomination) coins, while later issues included silver-substitute and fictitiously valued denominations such as zheer (worth two units), with decreasing weight and copper content over time.

Yongli Tongbao coins bearing the reverse inscription “部” are mostly attributed to the Hunan region. Early numismatic catalogues classified them among the so-called “imperial decree coins” (chiwen qian). During the Qianlong reign of the Qing dynasty, Weng Shupei, in his Collected Studies on Ancient Coins (Guquan Huikao), identified twelve characters from the reverse inscriptions of Yongli Tongbao coins and arranged them into the phrase: “御敕督部道府，留粵輔明定國,” which may be interpreted as “By imperial decree, civil and military officials of all ranks are commanded to remain in Guangdong and Guangxi, to assist the Great Ming (Southern Ming), and to stabilise the nation.” However, as the coins bearing these twelve reverse inscriptions exhibit significant variations in style and quality, they are now generally believed not to have been cast at the same time or in the same place. During the Yongli period, as the military situation deteriorated steadily, appointments to official positions were frequently made out of expediency. Many individuals were granted the title of Minister of the Six Boards (liubu shangshu) in name, particularly the Ministers of War and Personnel, which had become customary titles for commanders stationed in the provinces.

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: A3359

年代: 公元 1646-1653 年

材質: 黃銅

尺寸: 25.7 x 25.7 x 1.1 mm

重量: 3.15 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」隸書。四字由上至下，由右至左對讀。「永」字結構寫似「二、水」，呈「𣱵」，首筆橫劃；「曆」字「厂」旁下為二「木」；「通」字「甬」旁字首寫為「コ」，「辶」旁點與二折筆寫為二長點與單折筆；「寶」字字體較大，「缶」旁寫為「尔」。錢幕錢穿上方有錢文「部」，字體較小。

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。

永曆通寶背部者多出自湖南地區。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。」但十二文錢風格各異，品質參差，今多認為非一時一地所鑄。而永曆年間由於戰況每況愈下，為權宜機變，曾任六部尚書者有許多，兵部、吏部尚書更是出鎮地方者必加之職。

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1653年前後，李定國部隊與清軍在湖南寶慶(今邵陽)激戰，為南明在湖南的最後防線。然而，隨著何騰蛟戰死、清軍逐步攻陷湖南各地，南明被迫撤出湖廣。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。