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1 Cash - Tianding Tongbao
| Issuer | Tianwan Kingdom |
|---|---|
| Year | 1359-1360 |
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| Composition | Bronze |
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| Obverse description | Central square perforation surrounded by four Chinese characters in regular script (kaishu), arranged in the traditional cross-reading order: top, bottom, right, left, reading 天定通寶 (Tianding Tongbao). The raised characters are boldly cast within a plain inner rim and a raised outer rim. The field between the characters and the square hole is flat and unadorned. The coin displays a characteristic patina consistent with bronze casting of the late Yuan-era rebel coinage. |
|---|---|
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| Reverse description | Plain reverse bearing only the central square perforation with a raised inner rim and outer rim, the field entirely blank and uniface. The surface shows natural bronze patination with areas of green and brown encrustation consistent with age and burial environment. |
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| Additional information |
The Tianwan Kingdom lasted barely two years. Chen Youliang declared it in 1359 after murdering Xu Shouhui, the leader of the Red Turban rebel movement whose forces he had effectively controlled for years — an act of internal treachery that consolidated his power but cost him broader rebel legitimacy. His subsequent war against Zhu Yuanzhang, the future Hongwu Emperor, ended decisively at the Battle of Lake Poyang in 1363, one of the largest naval engagements in history. Chen died during that battle, and the Tianwan state collapsed with him, making this cash issue one of the shortest-lived coinages of the entire Yuan-Ming transition period.