CHINA QING Dynasty 1 cash 1645-1649 AD SHUN ZHI TONG BAO Datong mint Shanxi
$30.00
CHINA, QING Dynasty, 1644-1911 AD, 1 cash, no date (1645-1649 AD), Datong mint, Shanxi, Obverse: SHUN ZHI TONG BAO, closed head 1-dot TONG, Er BAO, Reverse: TONG R, brass, 26mm, 3.53g, H22.37, S1372, KM252, aVF
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Description
Shun Zhi was the year title of the third Qing Emperor, who came to the throne at the age of five. There were problems during the reign, partially dealt with. The Emperor caught smallpox and died at the age of 22.
A rebel took Beijing and the last Ming Emperor committed suicide. A Ming loyalist general invited the Manchus into China to aid the Ming heir but instead they proceeded to conquer the country in what some think produced more casualties than any previous war. The Qing Dynasty promoted culture and the economy flourished until the Europeans arrived with their Industrial Revolution and opium.
The oldest Chinese coins are at least as old as the earliest Greek coins. The Chinese coinage system differed from other systems in two ways. It was monometallic, only bronze coins circulated in general commerce. Gold and silver were treated as commodities. And the manufacturing method was by casting in moulds rather than by striking heated solid planchets. The main reference I use in attributing and describing these coins is the book: Chinese Cast Coins, by David Hartill.
