Item number: A3363

Year: AD 1651-1662

Material: Brass

Size: 25.5 x 25.2 x 0.9 mm

Weight: 3.35 g

Provenance: Spink 2023

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 square-holed round form characteristic of the Han cultural sphere. The inscription on the obverse, Yongli Tongbao, is written in regular script. The four characters are arranged vertically from top to bottom and read from right to left. The calligraphy is slender, forceful, and stiff, with sharp and angular strokes. The character “永” resembles a combination of “二” and “水,” forming the variant “𣱵”; its initial stroke is a dot, hence referred to as “dian-yong” (dot-form Yong), and the left-falling stroke of the “水” component is comparatively short. In the character “曆,” the “厂” radical is followed beneath by two “禾” components. In “通,” the “甬” radical begins with a form written as “々,” which stylistically resembles a diamond shape and is therefore referred to as “lingtou tong” (diamond-head Tong); the “辶” radical contains two dots instead of the usual one. In “寶,” the “缶” component is written as “尔,” and the horizontal stroke of the “宀” radical is notably short. Beneath the square hole on the reverse appears the character “工.” This character likely indicates the minting authority, suggesting that the coin was produced under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Works (工部), one of the Six Ministries of the central imperial government.

The Yongli Tongbao exhibits a wide variety of typological variants, with differing degrees of rarity. Due to the chaotic political landscape during the transition from the Ming to the Qing dynasties, the Yongli Emperor lacked effective control over national governance. As a result, regional generals and warlords who held actual power governed autonomously and undertook coin minting, leading to strong regional characteristics in the coinage. Based on stylistic traits and excavation locations, the Yongli Tongbao may be broadly classified into five categories: first, those from Guangdong, often bearing the reverse characters “定” or “國”; second, those from Guangxi, with reverses inscribed “工,” “戶,” “督,” “留,” “粵,” “輔,” or “明”; third, those from Yongzhou in Hunan, with inscriptions such as “工,” “戶,” “御,” “敕,” “部,” “督,” or “道”; fourth, zheyin (substitute silver) coins from Yunnan and Guizhou, bearing reverse inscriptions like “五厘,” “一分,” or “工”; fifth, those from Fujian and Taiwan, typically with plain reverses, some of which were struck in Nagasaki, Japan, under the commission of Zheng Chenggong and his son. The earliest issues were minted in Guangdong and Guangxi, followed by those in southern Hunan, Yunnan–Guizhou, and Fujian–Taiwan. Fujian and Taiwan ceased minting last, continuing until AD 1683, when Zheng Keshuang surrendered to the Qing. Early issues were mostly xiaoping (standard small denomination) coins, while later coins tended toward zheyin and fictitiously valued denominations such as zheer (valued at two units). Over time, both the weight and copper content of the coins declined progressively.

Sun Kewang, originally named Sun Kewang (孫可旺), was the adopted son of the rebel leader Zhang Xianzhong. After Zhang established the short-lived Daxi regime, Sun Kewang held the rank of General Who Pacifies the East and served as military commissioner, exercising authority over civil and military affairs. Following Zhang’s death, Sun led the remnants of the Daxi forces southward into Yunnan and Guizhou. He first declared himself king and later pledged nominal allegiance to the Southern Ming under the Yongli Emperor, adopting the slogan “Supporting Ming and Resisting Qing,” though he maintained autonomous control. During this period, he minted Yongli Tongbao coins bearing two stars on the reverse, as well as fractional silver denominations marked “一厘” and “一分.” In the 14th year of the Shunzhi reign (Yongli 11, AD 1657), internal conflict broke out between Sun and Li Dingguo. After his defeat, Sun fled and later died in AD 1660—some sources claim he was shot by Qing forces.

Li Dingguo was originally a general under Zhang Xianzhong in the late Ming period and later became a key figure in the Southern Ming’s resistance against the Qing. Alongside Zheng Chenggong and Sun Kewang, he was regarded as one of the three major military pillars of the Yongli regime. Li possessed exceptional military talent and was praised by contemporaries as a “match for ten thousand men.” After pledging allegiance to the Southern Ming, he cooperated with Sun Kewang in campaigns against the Qing and achieved a major victory in AD 1652 by defeating Wu Sangui in Guizhou and recapturing territories in Guangxi and Guizhou, greatly enhancing his reputation. However, relations with Sun deteriorated over time, leading to internal conflict that weakened the broader anti-Qing effort. In AD 1654, Li launched another campaign into Guangdong but was unable to reverse the decline and eventually retreated to Yunnan and Guizhou. In AD 1657, during renewed internal warfare, Sun Kewang revealed military secrets and offered to surrender to the Qing, causing the loss of critical strategic positions. In AD 1658, as Qing forces advanced into Yunnan, Li accompanied the Yongli Emperor into exile in Burma. In AD 1662, after the emperor was captured and executed by the Qing, Li, overwhelmed by grief, fell ill and died in Burma 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: A3363

年代: 公元 1651-1662 年

材質: 黃銅

尺寸: 25.5 x 25.2 x 0.9 mm

重量: 3.35 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。筆跡刻劃瘦勁僵硬，折角明顯。「永」字結構寫似「二、水」，呈「𣱵」，首劃為點，稱「點永」，「水」旁左撇較短；「曆」字「厂」旁下為二「禾」；「通」字「甬」旁字首「マ」寫為「々」，取形稱「菱頭通」，「辶」旁點劃增為二點；「寶」字「缶」旁寫為「尔」，「宀」旁橫劃較短。錢幕錢穿下方有錢文「工」。「工」字應為紀局，表為中央六部之一之工部所鑄行。

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。

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，先逕自稱王，隨後歸義南明永曆政權，號「扶明抗清」，實則自行其是。期間鑄「永曆通寶」背雙星、背工小平錢，以及背五厘、一分折銀錢。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。

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1657年，與孫可望部內戰，孫可望獻圖降清，令險要盡失。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。