Sunken coin from the founder of the Ming Dynasty.

A scarce and large Ming Dynasty bronze coin salvaged from the sea. Likely shipwreck coin.

China - Ming Dynasty

Emperor Hongwu (Zhu Yuanzhang, founder of the Dynasty). 1368-1398

5 cash.

The Hong Wu Emperor started as a peasant during the Mongol ruled Yuan Dynasty. He eventually led a peasant uprising which successfully dispelled the Mongol and his other rivals this establishing the Ming Dynasty. A cruel and suspicious man, upon his ascension to power he led a strictly controlled administration which saw many of his generals purged or executed. Nonetheless he set a strong administration which saw the Ming Dynasty lasting for 2 centuries and dominance of the oceans ad the far East.

 

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Wow, it looks remarcably good for having spent hundreds of years in sea water. Is there any back story as to how this coin came to be rescued from the sea?

 

this is one of the gaps i want to fill in my mini-chinese collection (along with some proto-money), i have nothing between nothern song and qing eras.

 

Sadly I do not know the specifics.. but likely from fishing off the coast..

 

Very nice!! Hartill 20.99? (Hartill numbers would be helpful for us Chinese noobs. )

Man, I need to photograph my Chinese stuff. I have some common 1 cash of this guy, both as Prince of Wu and as emperor.

 

You should.. ming coins are pretty common. Better still I recommend the pre-qing Manchu coins of Nurhaci and Abahai.. in Manchu script

 

Please show us your examples?

 

Here you go

Qing Tai Zu - Nurhaci. Founder

Here you go

Qing Tai Zu - Nurhaci. Founder of the later Jin (before the name was changed to Qing)


Huang Taiji- Abahai. Son of Nurhaci. Changed the dynastic title to Qing. Never lived long enough to assume the role of Emperor which was passed to his son Shunzhi.

 

Beautiful coins, thank you!

 

I know a couple dealers who buy hoards of coins salvaged from shipwrecks. One is in Singapore; this coin looks like it came from him.

The coins are often stacked and cemented together. Thus the water does not have a chance to attack and corrode them, letting them be found in excellent condition once seperated.

 

This is from China. Though your reasoning makes sense regarding the stacking.

 

This is a shipwreck coin. I understand it was pulled out of a freshwater lake in Jiangsu province.

 

Yes you are correct. It is a Tang Dynasty large coin. The condition is that of a freshwater salvaged coin

 

My "Imperial coin of the Heavenly Mandate"

 

In Manchu it is Abkai Fullingai Ni Jiha

 

Cool coin and nice snippet of history @Loong Siew ! Founder / beginning of the Ming Dynaty... Big bonus: SHIPWRECK!

I regret I have nothing near as cool. I only have these 2 very humble END of Ming Dynasty coin:

China Ming Emperor Chongzhen 1627-1644 CE Tong Bao blank 2 O-R

 

Haha.. it's still a nice and significant piece. The last emperor of the Ming who hung himself on a tree behind the forbidden city

 

Oh wow, LOL, fun tidbit of history! Thanks!

 

The last recognised Emperor of the Ming Dynasty, many others continued and they struck their own coins too, on Taiwan these would circulate decades after the Manchu's took the mainland.

 

Coins fused in the ground:

Coins fused in the ocean: