Item number: A3356

Year: AD 1646-1654

Material: Brass

Size: 25.0 x 24.9 x 1.0 mm

Weight: 3.55 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 adopts the traditional square-holed round form characteristic of the Han cultural sphere and is relatively large in size. The obverse bears the inscription Yongli Tongbao in regular script, with the four characters arranged vertically from top to bottom and read from right to left. The character “永” is structured similarly to “二” and “水,” forming the variant “𣱵”; the “厂” radical in “曆” is followed by two “禾” components; the “甬” radical in “通” begins with a form resembling “マ”; and in “寶,” the “缶” radical is written as “尔.” Above the square hole on the reverse appears the character “明,” in which the first and second strokes of the “日” component are joined to form a closed shape, referred to as “closed-mouth Ming.”

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.

Coins bearing the national title “明” on the reverse mostly originate from the Guangxi region. Early numismatic catalogues classified them as part of the so-called “imperial decree coins.” During the Qianlong reign, Weng Shupei, in his work Collected Studies on Ancient Coins (Guquan Huikao), selected twelve characters from the reverse inscriptions of the Yongli Tongbao and arranged them as: “御敕督部道府，留粵輔明定國,” meaning roughly “By imperial command to civil and military officials of all levels, to remain in Guangdong and Guangxi, to assist the Great Ming (Southern Ming), and to stabilise the nation.” However, since the twelve character styles differ significantly and vary in quality, they are now generally believed not to have been cast at the same time or in the same location.

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: A3356

年代: 公元 1646-1654 年

材質: 黃銅

尺寸: 25.0 x 24.9 x 1.0 mm

重量: 3.55 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。錢體較大。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」；「曆」字「厂」旁下為二「禾」；「通」字「甬」旁字首寫為「マ」；「寶」字「缶」旁寫為「尔」。錢幕錢穿上方有錢文「明」，「日」旁第一、二筆間相連閉口，稱「閉口明」。

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。

永曆通寶背國號明者多出自廣西地區。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。

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。