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2 Cash - Tianyou Tongbao

Issuer Dazhou Kingdom
Year 1354-1357
Type Standard circulation coin
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Obverse description Central square hole surrounded by a raised inner rim and a broad flat field, bearing four Chinese characters in regular script (kaishu) arranged in cruciform reading order: top, right, bottom, left. The legend reads 天祐通寶 (Tianyou Tongbao), denoting the Tianyou era of Zhang Shicheng's Dazhou Kingdom. The characters are bold and well-formed, each occupying one quadrant of the field. A raised outer rim borders the coin, showing characteristic casting texture consistent with mid-14th century Chinese bronze coinage.
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Reverse script Chinese (traditional, seal script)
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Additional information

The Dazhou Kingdom was one of several short-lived regimes that emerged from the chaos of the Red Turban Rebellions against Yuan dynasty rule in the 1350s. Its founder, Ming Yuzhen, controlled Sichuan province and struck this issue as a declaration of administrative independence from both the collapsing Mongol court and rival insurgent powers. The kingdom survived him by only a few years after his death in 1366, absorbed ultimately by the rising Ming dynasty in 1371.

Hartill 19.136 is among the scarcer Red Turban-era types, with genuine examples frequently confused with later imitations produced during the Qing period antiquarian revival.

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