1 Cash - Chongzhen Tongbao, northern type, Lu with dot

The Chongzhen reign (1627–1644) was one of the most financially catastrophic periods in Ming history — the dynasty hemorrhaged silver fighting the Manchu incursions in the northeast while simultaneously suppressing a cascade of internal rebellions. Mint output expanded desperately across provincial facilities, and the Luzhou branch was among those pressed into service. The dot added to the Lu mint mark distinguishes this northern type from otherwise nearly identical issues, a differentiation that matters to attribution but almost certainly meant nothing to the merchants and soldiers handling the coins in daily exchange.

Chongzhen hanged himself on Coal Hill as Li Zicheng's rebel forces entered Beijing in April 1644, ending the dynasty. These coins outlasted the emperor who ordered them struck.