The Imperial Message of the Míng

339, Lot: 567. Estimate $75. Sold for $55. This amount does not include the buyer’s fee.

CHINA, Southern Míng Dynasty. Yǒngmíng (Prince of Guì). AD 1646-1662. Æ Wén (26.5mm, 7.31 g, 12h). Yong Li Tong Bao in kǎishū Hànzì (regular script) characters / Fu in kǎishū Hànzì (regular script) characters. Hartill 21.68. VF, brown patina, some roughness.

From the J.P. Righetti Collection.

This series bears reverse privy marks that can be arranged to form a message: Yu chi du bu dao [fu] liu yue fu ming ding guo, “Imperial orders, the Governor-generals, Daotais, [and the prefects] are to guard Yue and assist Ming to settle the state.” Hartill notes that coins bearing the first fu character are not known and the privy marks were more likely chosen at random.