Item number: A3675

Year: AD 1576-1620

Material: Brass

Size: 24.7 x 24.7 x 1.1 mm

Weight: 4.2 g

Provenance: Spink 2023

This is a small cash coin cast under the reign title of Emperor Shenzong of the Ming dynasty, the Wanli tongbao, first issued in AD 1576, the fourth year of the Wanli reign.

The coin follows the traditional round form with a square central hole, characteristic of the Chinese cultural sphere. The obverse inscription reads Wanli tongbao (circulating treasure of the Wanli era), arranged from top to bottom and right to left. The square hole is relatively broad, a feature known as “wide-hole.” The calligraphic style corresponds to that of the Wanli tongbao coins bearing the character He (河) on the reverse, yet this specimen has an uninscribed reverse showing only a single crescent-shaped impression, and is therefore termed a “He-type without reverse” (He-shou). Regarding the origin of the He and He-shou coins, some scholars attribute them to Henan, while others argue for Fujian; discoveries from Fujian, however, are more numerous. The nail-shaped mark likely resulted from the mother coin falling into the sand mould during the casting process; as the indentation resembles a fingernail impression, it is commonly referred to as a “nail mark.”

Coinage of the Wanli tongbao began in AD 1576. The two imperial mints in Beijing and Nanjing produced two grades: “golden-back” coins made from four-fire refined brass, and “lacquered-fire” coins using two-fire brass; provincial mints chiefly struck the type with a milled or “spun” rim. The alloy composition was about 93.8 per cent brass and 6.2 per cent tin. Metallurgical examination of surviving specimens indicates that the so-called “four-fire” and “two-fire” distinctions referred mainly to the surface polish or patina rather than to the intrinsic alloy. Each Wanli tongbao weighed approximately 1.25 qian, and the milled-rim pieces about 1.3 qian. The official Hao Jing memorialised proposing the casting of large-denomination Wanli yuanbao coins valued at ten, thirty, and fifty cash, with reverse legends such as “Illicit Casting a Crime” and “Informers Rewarded” to deter counterfeiting; the proposal was not adopted. However, extant specimens of double-weight coins appear to reflect this unimplemented plan for large issues.

In the early years of Wanli, the coins were well cast and of fine quality, but as military campaigns multiplied and fiscal burdens grew, workmanship deteriorated, the coins became lighter, and private casting proliferated. After the Hongwu reign, the Ming coinage system had gradually simplified, and from the Jiajing period onward almost no large or inscribed reverse types were produced, except for the Jiajing “five-grade” series. During the Wanli era, with the complete collapse of the baochao paper-money system and rapidly increasing state expenditure, numerous new furnaces were opened for accelerated minting. A few rare varieties once again carried reverse characters such as “Hu,” “Gong,” “Gong (public),” “Zheng,” “Tian,” “He,” and “He (crane).”

Another notable feature of the Wanli period was the rise of silver coinage and “mined silver.” With the extensive development of domestic silver mines, coinage in silver became far more frequent than in earlier reigns. Common types include silver Wanli tongbao pieces with the reverse inscription “kuang yin” (“mined silver”), in weights of 0.3, 0.4, and 0.5 tael, as well as larger “Wanli kuangyin” and “Wanli nianzao” varieties. Differences in their workmanship suggest that they were not produced at a single central mint but rather at multiple local or mining mints. By this time, although the government formally maintained its copper-coinage system, silver had become the principal medium of exchange and store of value.

Emperor Shenzong, personal name Zhu Yijun, reigned from AD 1572 to 1620 under the title Wanli and was one of the longest-reigning monarchs of the Ming dynasty. Ascending the throne at the age of ten, his rule spanned the late sixteenth and early seventeenth centuries. In his early years, with Grand Secretary Zhang Juzheng as regent, the government was efficiently administered, the treasury replenished, and the laws strictly enforced—a period known as the “Wanli Restoration.” Zhang Juzheng’s “Single-Whip Reform” simplified taxation and monetised fiscal obligations, briefly restoring prosperity to the Ming finances. After Zhang’s death, however, Wanli took personal control, becoming indecisive and increasingly neglectful of state affairs, refusing audiences for long periods—a situation termed the “Wanli Withdrawal.” He concentrated authority within the inner court and relied heavily on eunuchs, which caused bureaucratic stagnation and constant conflict with officials.

Politically, the reign was dominated by the protracted “Succession Controversy,” in which debate over the designation of the crown prince persisted for more than a decade, undermining imperial authority. Although Wanli eventually appointed Zhu Changluo as heir, his long absence from court contributed indirectly to the “Three Major Cases” that destabilised the central government. In diplomacy and warfare, he ordered the Ming army to assist Korea against the Japanese invasion, dispatching Li Rusong and others to fight in the Imjin War (AD 1592–1598), which successfully repelled Toyotomi Hideyoshi’s forces and preserved the balance of East Asia. He also commanded campaigns to suppress the rebellions of Yang Yinglong in Bozhou and the Ningxia Mutiny, demonstrating some residual military capacity. Yet the prolonged wars consumed immense resources, deepened fiscal strain, and sharply increased the demand for silver, accelerating the emergence of the late-Ming silver economy.

Culturally, the Wanli era witnessed remarkable growth in commerce and urban culture, with a flourishing publishing industry that produced great secular works such as Jin Ping Mei and The Water Margin. Intellectual life became more diverse and critical, while Buddhism, Daoism, and popular cults all prospered, accompanied by widespread temple building. In his later years, Wanli withdrew completely into the palace, absent from audiences for over thirty years. Corruption spread, official discipline decayed, and internal tensions within the Ming state deepened, leaving the dynasty weakened despite the longevity of his reign.

物件編號: A3675

年代: 公元 1576-1620 年

材質: 黃銅

尺寸: 24.7 x 24.7 x 1.1 mm

重量: 4.2 g

來源: 斯賓克拍賣行 2023

這是一枚自萬曆四年(公元1576年)起，明朝在位期間最長的皇帝明神宗以年號鑄造的「萬曆通寶」。

錢幣形制為漢文化圈傳統的方孔圓錢。錢面錢文「萬曆通寶」，由上至下，由右至左對讀。方穿較寬，稱｢廣穿｣。錢文風格與背上有河字之萬曆通寶相同，但此錢錢幕無文，僅有一甲痕，故稱「河手」。背上河與河手錢的產地，有論者各執河南說與福建說，但以福建出土較多。甲痕可能為翻砂鑄錢時，母錢掉落砂模而成，因似人以指甲壓印，故得名。

萬曆四年(公元1576年)始鑄「萬曆通寶」。兩京所鑄的分為「金背」與「火漆」兩種，前者用四火黃銅，後者用二火黃銅，各省則多鑄旋邊錢。其成色約為黃銅93.8%、水錫6.2%。但依存世實物的測定結果，所謂四火、二火等高度精練的黃銅應用做表面漆色，而非本體。每文萬曆通寶重約一錢二分五釐，旋邊錢則重一錢三分。官員郝敬曾奏請鑄造「萬曆元寶」大錢，面值當十、三十、五十，背鑄「私造罪」「告捕賞格」等字樣以懲私鑄，但此建議未被採納。不過，實際存在折二錢之大型樣式，可視為未實行的大錢構想的遺留。

初期萬曆錢鑄工精整，質地優良，但隨著戰事頻仍與開支劇增，後期錢文漸粗，重量減輕，私鑄盛行。明代自洪武後錢制趨於簡化，至嘉靖以後幾乎無大錢或背文，唯嘉靖「五等錢」為例外。萬曆年間由於寶鈔已完全廢弛，而國庫支出增長，遂出現「增爐鼓鑄」風氣，並再度出現有背文字錢，如「戶」「工」「公」「正」「天」「河」「鶴」等，但此類版別較罕。

萬曆年間另一重大現象是銀幣與礦銀的興起。當時因國內大開銀礦，銀錢鑄造遠較前代頻繁。常見的類型包括「萬曆通寶」銀幣，背分「礦銀」二字，有庫平三分、四分、五分等不同重量，並有大型「萬曆礦銀」與「萬曆年造」等版別。這些銀幣的製作差異顯示其非出自單一鑄局，反映地方性或礦區性鑄造的特徵。此時官方雖仍維持銅錢鑄造制度，但白銀已成為實際的交易與儲值媒介。

明神宗朱翊鈞，公元1572至1620年在位，年號「萬曆」，是明朝在位時間最長的皇帝之一，自十歲即位，其統治橫跨十六世紀後半至十七世紀初。早年在張居正輔政之下，政治整飭、國庫充盈、法令嚴明，史稱「萬曆中興」。張居正推行一條鞭法，簡化稅制，實現賦稅貨幣化，為明代財政帶來短暫繁榮。然張居正死後，萬曆親政，性情轉為寡斷，逐漸疏於理政，長期不視朝，形成所謂「萬曆怠政」。他偏重內廷權力，倚重宦官，導致政務積壓與朝臣爭執不休。

在政治上，萬曆朝最著名的爭論是「國本之爭」，圍繞太子冊立問題而延宕十餘年，使朝綱動搖。雖然他最終立朱常洛為太子，但因多年不視朝，間接導致「三大案」，動搖中樞。外交與軍事方面，他曾下令援朝抗倭，派遣李如松等率軍對日作戰，即萬曆朝鮮之役(公元1592至1598年)，成功迫退豐臣秀吉軍，維持了東亞局勢的平衡。又命諸將平定播州楊應龍叛亂與寧夏穆王之變，展現出仍具一定的軍事掌控力。然而長期戰費消耗巨大，加劇了財政壓力，導致白銀需求暴增，並促成晚明白銀經濟的成熟。

文化上，萬曆時期商品經濟與城市文化高度發展，商業出版興盛，出現《金瓶梅》《水滸全傳》等世俗文學巨著，文人思想漸趨多元與批判。宗教與民間信仰亦盛，佛、道並行，地方建寺造像之風盛行。萬曆晚年深居宮禁，三十餘年不親朝政，政治腐敗、官場積弊叢生，最終使明朝內部矛盾加深。