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5 Cash - Hongwu Tongbao, Gui
| Issuer | Ming Dynasty |
|---|---|
| Year | 1368-1393 |
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| Value | Log in to see details |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
| Weight | 18.5 g |
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| Obverse description | Log in to see details |
|---|---|
| Obverse script | Chinese (traditional, regular script) |
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| Reverse description | Plain reverse field with a central square hole flanked by two Chinese characters arranged vertically in regular script (kaishu). The mint identifier 桂 (Gui, for Guilin) appears above the central perforation and the denomination 五 (Wu, meaning 5) appears below, both in bold relief against a flat field. Raised inner and outer rims frame the design, following the standard convention for Ming dynasty multi-cash reverse inscriptions indicating mint and denomination. |
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| Additional information |
The Hongwu Emperor — Zhu Yuanzhang, former Buddhist novice and peasant rebel — established the Ming Dynasty's coinage system with deliberate political messaging, issuing cash coins in multiple denominations at a time when the Yuan paper currency had collapsed catastrophically and public trust in money had to be rebuilt from scratch. The Gui mint designation identifies production at Guilin in Guangxi province, one of several regional mints activated under the Hongwu board system. Regional mint marks on Ming cash are notoriously inconsistent in their application, and Guilin-mint pieces with clear, well-defined reverses are significantly less common than output from the northern facilities.