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, Xin
| Issuer | Board of Revenue Mint (戶部局), Beijing |
|---|---|
| Year | 1630-1644 |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | Log in to see details |
| 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) | Hartill#20.267, FD#2053, Schjoth#1257 |
| Obverse description | Round cast brass coin with a central square hole piercing the field. Four Chinese characters in regular script (kaishu) are arranged in cruciform fashion around the central aperture, reading top-to-bottom and right-to-left: 崇 (Chóng), 禎 (Zhēn), 通 (Tōng), 寶 (Bǎo), forming the reign title and denomination legend 崇禎通寶. The characters are rendered in bold relief within a plain inner rim, with a raised outer rim encircling the coin. The surfaces show typical casting texture consistent with Ming dynasty production. |
|---|---|
| Obverse script | Log in to see details |
| Obverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Reverse description | Log in to see details |
| Reverse script | Log in to see details |
| Reverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Edge | Plain |
| Mint | Log in to see details |
| Mintage | Log in to see details |
| Additional information |
The Board of Revenue Mint in Beijing operated under extraordinary pressure during the Chongzhen reign — the final years of the Ming dynasty, collapsing under simultaneous pressure from Li Zicheng's rebel forces advancing from the north and the Manchu Qing armies pressing through the passes. Cash production accelerated as the court desperately needed funds, and quality control deteriorated accordingly. Many issues from this mint show crude casting and inconsistent alloy, a direct reflection of the foundry conditions in a capital under existential threat.
The "Xin" (新) board designation identifies this as a northern mint product, distinguishing it from the Board of Works issues struck concurrently. Chongzhen hanged himself on Coal Hill in 1644 as Li Zicheng entered Beijing, ending the dynasty and, abruptly, this mint's operations.