Catalog
See full images - free registration
Continue with Google - no registration!
or register with email
Why register? Just to keep bots out of our catalog. Your email stays private - we will never share it or send you anything uninvited. We guarantee you that!
1 Cash - Chongzhen Tongbao, northern type, with Ji
| Issuer | Empire of China |
|---|---|
| Year | 1630-1644 |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | 1 Cash |
| Currency | Log in to see details |
| Composition | Log in to see details |
| Weight | Log in to see details |
| Diameter | Log in to see details |
| Thickness | Log in to see details |
| Shape | Log in to see details |
| Technique | Log in to see details |
| Orientation | Log in to see details |
| Engraver(s) | Log in to see details |
| In circulation to | Log in to see details |
| Reference(s) | Log in to see details |
| Obverse description | Log in to see details |
|---|---|
| Obverse script | Chinese (traditional, regular script) |
| Obverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Reverse description | Plain reverse field surrounding the central square perforation, with a single Chinese character 季 (Ji) serving as a mint mark positioned below the square hole. The character is cast in regular script and identifies the issuing mint authority for this northern-type issue. The reverse retains the standard inner square rim and outer raised border, with the field otherwise unadorned. Heavy encrustation and patination partially obscure the relief, consistent with the coin's age and circulation history. |
| Reverse script | Log in to see details |
| Reverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Edge | Log in to see details |
| Mint | Log in to see details |
| Mintage | Log in to see details |
| Additional information |
The Chongzhen emperor's reign saw cash coinage descend into administrative chaos. By the 1630s, provincial and prefectural mints were striking concurrently under inconsistent supervision, producing coins that varied dramatically in alloy, weight, and size even within the same nominal type. The "Ji" reverse mark identifies production at Jizhou, one of numerous northern mints pressed into service as the Ming treasury strained under simultaneous military campaigns against Manchu forces in the northeast and Li Zicheng's rebel army pressing from the west.
Chongzhen hanged himself on Coal Hill in April 1644 as Li Zicheng entered Beijing, ending the dynasty mid-issue.