Item number: A3422

Year: AD 1570-1572

Material: Brass

Size: 23.0 x 23.0 mm

Weight: 3.1 g

Manufactured by: Baoquan Mint Bureau, Beijing

Provenance:

1. Spink 2023

2. Dr. Werner Klaus Burger Collection

This is a Longqing Tongbao coin, minted in the name of Emperor Muzong, the Longqing Emperor, of the Ming Dynasty.

The coin adheres to the traditional form of the Chinese cultural sphere, being a round coin with a square hole. The obverse bears the inscription “Longqing Tongbao” in regular script. The character “通” (tong) features a notably thick initial stroke in the “辶” radical; the character “寶” (bao) has the “缶” component written as “尔”, appearing as “寳”. The script is characterised by relatively thick and rounded strokes, with faint incised marks at the base of the inscription, possibly resulting from rust removal or additional engraving. The reverse is plain, without rim or border, and devoid of any inscription.

The Longqing Tongbao was a currency minted under the reign of Emperor Muzong, Zhu Zaiji, of the Ming Dynasty. In the second month of the fourth year of Longqing (AD 1570), Jin Xueyan, the Provincial Governor of Shanxi, submitted a memorial noting that the silver standard had led to the depreciation of currency. He proposed the concurrent use of silver and coinage, suggesting that the costs be offset by fines paid in copper and charcoal, as well as labour from military camps. The imperial court subsequently authorised the minting of the Longqing Tongbao, with each coin weighing one qian and three fen. In November of the following year (AD 1571), the Ministry of Revenue presented two million coins to the court. In the sixth year of Longqing (AD 1572), it was decreed that the salaries of capital officials would be paid with ninety percent silver and ten percent coinage. “Gold-back coins” were valued such that eight coins equated to one fen of silver, worth six li; “lacquer coins” and Jiajing-era polished-edge coins were valued at ten coins per fen of silver, worth two li. The so-called gold-back coins were reputedly named for their golden-yellow hue, attributed to superior copper quality or refined craftsmanship, though claims of gold coating on the reverse are likely unsubstantiated. Lacquer coins were named either for their blackened reverses, possibly due to fire-smoking or chemical staining, with some scholars suggesting this was a method to verify or self-certify metal purity, as coins with high tin content might reveal tin separation upon heating. Polished-edge coins were crafted with smoothed edges using a lathe, but due to high costs, later coins were finished with files, resulting in rougher edges. In the fourth year of Wanli (AD 1576), Sun Xun, a Supervising Censor, submitted a memorial stating that millions of coins were accumulating in the silver treasury, causing stagnation with no benefit. He proposed adjusting official salaries to forty percent silver and sixty percent coinage, and his memorial was forwarded to the relevant departments. In April, an edict permitted the use of coins at the convenience of the populace, banned inferior and counterfeit coins, and allowed standard coins to circulate alongside older ones, with transactions under one qian restricted to coins only. Grand Secretary Gao Gong emphasised that currency circulation should prioritise public convenience, and the emperor approved his proposal, leading to a partial restoration of smooth currency circulation.

Emperor Muzong Zhu Zaiji (erroneously recorded as Zhu Zaihou in late Ming sources, a mistake perpetuated in Qing records and widely disseminated) reigned from AD 1567 to 1572 under the era name Longqing, serving as the thirteenth emperor of the Ming Dynasty for only six years. The son of Emperor Shizong (Jiajing Emperor), he ascended the throne amid the late Jiajing era’s internal and external crises: fiscal distress, frequent border conflicts, and bureaucratic corruption. Longqing was mild-mannered and more enlightened than his father, appointing capable ministers like Gao Gong and Zhang Juzheng to implement reforms addressing systemic issues. He ordered the rectification of Jiajing-era malpractices and lifted the maritime trade ban, known as the “Longqing Opening,” permitting private overseas trade, which spurred economic growth in the southeast, particularly through silver inflows from maritime commerce, laying the groundwork for the Wanli resurgence. However, Longqing’s poor health and limited engagement in governance meant reliance on his ministers, leaving fiscal and military challenges unresolved.

物件編號: A3422

年代: 公元 1570-1572 年

材質: 黃銅

尺寸: 23.0 x 23.0 mm

重量: 3.1 g

製造地: 戶部寶泉局，北京

來源:

1. 斯賓克拍賣行 2023

2. 布威納博士舊藏

這是一枚以明穆宗隆慶帝之名所鑄行的「隆慶通寶」。

錢幣形制為漢文化圈傳統之方孔圓錢。錢面錢文「隆慶通寶」楷書。「通」字「辶」旁首點筆劃較粗；「寶」字「缶」旁從「尔」，呈「寳」。字體筆劃較粗圓，錢文落地地章處有陰刻痕，疑為去鏽加刀所致。錢幕平背，無輪無廓，光素無文。

隆慶通寶為明穆宗朱載坖所鑄貨幣。隆慶四年二月(公元1570年)，山西巡撫靳學顏上奏，指出銀本位導致貨幣廢弛，建議銀錢並行，並以銅炭贖罪、軍營匠役解決成本問題。朝廷遂批准鑄造隆慶通寶，每文重一錢三分，次年(公元1571年)十一月戶部進獻二百萬文。隆慶六年(公元1572年)，議定京官俸祿以九分支銀、一分支錢，金背錢每八文折銀一分，值六釐；火漆錢及嘉靖旋邊錢每十文折銀一分，值二釐。所謂金背錢，據說因銅質較佳或製作精良，錢身呈金黃色而得名，雖有以金塗背之說，實際未必如此。火漆錢或因錢背經火熏黑，或以藥物染黑而得名，有論者認為是一種驗證或自證成色的方法，因為含錫量高的錢幣在加熱後可能使錫先析出。旋邊錢則以旋車磨邊，邊緣光滑，後因成本過高，改用銼刀修邊，致輪廓粗糙。萬曆四年(公元1576年)，給事中孫訓上言，銀庫積錢千百萬，壅滯無益，建議俸祿四分支銀、六分支錢，奏章下達有關部門。四月，命行錢聽從民便，禁濫劣偽錢，允許制錢與舊錢並行，交易一錢以下僅用錢。大學士高拱強調貨幣流通需從民便，帝准其議，貨幣流通遂稍復暢通。

明穆宗朱載坖(明末誤寫為垕，清代續此誤因而傳播廣泛)，公元1567年至1572年在位，年號隆慶，是明朝第十三任皇帝，在位僅六年。他為明世宗嘉靖帝之子，繼位時明帝國正處於嘉靖後期的內憂外患：財政困窘、邊患頻仍、官僚腐敗。隆慶帝性情寬厚，相對其父較為開明，起用高拱、張居正等能臣，推行改革以緩解國政弊端。他下令清理嘉靖朝積弊，開放海禁，史稱「隆慶開關」。允許民間海外貿易，促進了東南沿海經濟發展，尤其是海貿促使白銀流入，對後來的萬曆中興奠定基礎。然而，隆慶帝健康不佳，治國積極性有限，朝政多倚重閣臣，未能徹底解決財政與軍事問題。