Regarding the topic of ancient coins, we have learned about the Qing Dynasty's Heavenly Mandate Tongbao and Tiancong Tongbao in previous articles. Today, we continue to delve into Shunzhi Tongbao.
In 1644 AD, the Qing army entered the customs, and the Shunzhi Emperor Aixin Jueluo Fulin entered the city of Beijing. In order to stabilize the chaotic currency market at that time, Emperor Shunzhi was the first to open the Baoyuan Bureau and the Baoquan Bureau in the Ministry of Industry and Household in Beijing, and began to mint new coins. With the unification of the world, various localities have also set up coinage bureaus to issue unified currencies to stabilize the economic order. This move was like a timely rain, which allowed the chaotic currency market to gradually restore order, and also laid a solid economic foundation for the stability and development of the Qing Dynasty.
Most of the Shunzhi Tongbao's money books are written in regular script, and the text is read in pairs, and the money gradually tends to be flattened, while the money edge appears broad. Its casting material is mainly seven red copper, with three points of white copper. At the beginning of casting, each text was a penny, and later the layout was gradually subdivided, including one coin and two cents, one coin and four cents, and one coin and five cents. This subdivision is extremely complex, mainly due to the fact that Emperor Shunzhi carried out five currency reforms during his reign. Therefore, Shunzhi Tongbao has five different systems in the big classification, which is known as "Shunzhi Five Styles" in history.
Shunzhi one-style
The time span of Shunzhi casting is long, from the first year of Shunzhi to eight years, and it was not used until the seventeenth year of Shunzhi. Its coin shape and casting process are quite similar to those of Ming Dynasty coins, so it is called "antique style". At the same time, it is also the first coin minted by the Qing army after entering the customs, so it is also called the "no discipline" type.
Shunzhi is a style, weighing a penny, showing a rich variety of face value forms, including small flat coins and folds.
2. There are three types of folded ten. In the small flat money layout, the bare back is the base, and it is subdivided into the back.
First, the back, bottom, left, right half star, back circle, back right circle, showing a unique book version, treasure version, even water treatment version and many other changes, although the value is generally low, but also unique.
The face value layout of the folded two type is relatively simple, the value of the back two is higher, and the better quality is about 10,000 in the small number. The folded ten type has the words "ten one tael" on the back, as early as ten years ago in the Guardian auction sold one, more than 50,000 yuan, the value is not low.
Among the many layouts, the back "one", back "two", back "ten, one two" system imitation is the Ming Dynasty apocalypse big money trial casting, these unique designs make its number relatively small, the value is higher. These different denominations and layouts are like a historical imprint, recording the rich connotation and unique charm of Shunzhi.
Shunzhi two style
The casting time of the Shunzhi II style was from the first year to the tenth year, that is, from 1644 to 1653. The reverse of this coin has the inscription of the Bureau, and as far as is known, 19 coins and 31 inscriptions have been found in this style. For this reason, it is also known as the "one-word notation". Although this coin was minted for a short time, it left a strong mark on the history of Chinese currency. It has a wide variety of inscriptions, each of which represents a different meaning and symbolism, which is also its charm. At the same time, this coin is also one of the important materials for the study of Chinese history and culture, and has a high value for historians and collectors.
The subdivision layout of the two styles of Shunzhi is like a starry spot, in which the layout of the backwork, household, thistle, Xuan, Yun, Yan, Yuan, Tong, Yang, He, Lin, Dong, Zhejiang, Ning, Chang, Fu, Jing, Xiang and the new nineteen money bureaus have their own characteristics. In these layouts, the layout of many back words is different, such as the back of the household, the back of the right household, the back of the left extension, the back of the right extension, etc., like a colorful picture. Among them, the layout of the back left extension and the back right extension is particularly rare, as if they are two bright pearls in the long history. The new layout of the back work and back has never been officially released, and it can only be seen in a small number of sample money, which is very precious. These layouts not only show the unique charm of the Shunzhi style, but also let us appreciate the wisdom and ingenuity of the ancients.
Shunzhi three styles
The money inscription on the back of the Shunzhi three-style is unique, and it is engraved with "one centi" and the Chinese character mark of the Casting and Marking Bureau, so it is affectionately called "one centi". Its casting time has a long history from the tenth year of Shunzhi to the fourteenth year of Shunzhi. However, its use came to an abrupt end in the second year of Kangxi, which made people regret its short-lived glory.
At present, nearly 20 subdivided layouts have been discovered, including Beihu, Gong, Ji, Xuan, Dong, Lin, He, Yuan, Shaanxi, Yang, Tong, Jiangsu, Zhejiang, Chang, Fu, Ning, Yunyi, etc. Among these layouts, the cloud is particularly special. It was minted from 1659 to 1661 and was a kind of silver coin minted in Yunnan. According to the regulations, one cent can be converted into one cent of silver, ten cents can be converted into one cent of silver, ten cents can be converted into one cent of silver, and ten cents can be converted into one tael of silver.
Shunzhi four styles
The back of the Shunzhi four-style Qian Wen is unique and adopts a double Manchu design, so it is also affectionately called "Manchu style". From the fourteenth to the eighteenth year of Shunzhi, this kind of coin was minted one after another, and its body was relatively large and heavy, giving people a sense of stability. Compared with the previous formulas, its shape has gradually broken away from the shackles of the ancient money system of the Ming Dynasty, indicating the arrival of a new era of Qing money. In the history of numismatic development, the Shunzhi Four Styles undoubtedly have a pivotal position, and its emergence has laid a solid foundation for the development of Qing money in later generations.
The purpose of the Manchu style is to facilitate unified management and prevent private casting, and it is only cast by the Baoquan Bureau of the Ministry of Household and the Baoyuan Bureau of the Ministry of Industry. There are two kinds of face values of the Manchu style and the fold two types, and the small flat money has two kinds of back Manwen Baoquan and Baoyuan, and the fold two type is currently only found to have the style of the back treasure spring bureau. Although the Manchu style has a relatively large number of surviving in the world, the Manchu style of the minting bank has restricted the circulation of money to a certain extent, because the face value of the Manchu style does not match the daily transaction needs of ordinary people, so the Manchu style has gradually been eliminated in circulation.
Shunzhi five styles
In the seventeenth year of Shunzhi, that is, in 1660, the Ministry of Household approved the local foundry bureau to re-mint new money in accordance with the shape of the Shunzhi four-style. The inscriptions on the back of these new coins consisted of the Manchu Bureau and the Han Bureau of the province, so they were called "Manchu and Han style". This move indicates that the Manchu Qing Dynasty has begun to attach importance to the integration of Manchu and Han cultures, which is of great political significance. This minting of new money not only demonstrates the political wisdom of the Manchus, but also reflects their positive attitude towards cultural integration. The cultural integration of the Manchus and Han during this period had a profound impact on the rule and stability of the Manchu Dynasty.
The Manchu and Han style was minted in the seventeenth to eighteenth year of Shunzhi, and the small flat money system was adopted. Judging from the historical data and physical objects, coins from the Han thistle, Xuan, Dong, Lin, He, Yuan, Tong, Shaanxi, Jiangsu, Zhejiang, Chang, Ning, and Fu minting bureaus have been found. However, the Manchu and Han Fu characters minted in Fujian Province have not been officially minted, and only a small number of sample coins have been found today. In addition, it is recorded from the relevant literature that the Yunnan Provincial Bureau has also minted Manchu and Han Yun coins, but no genuine products have been found in the world so far. The discovery of these coins is of great significance for the study of the history, economy and culture of the time.