Emperor Chong Zhen 崇祯 1627 - 1644 Running horse mint mark. Ex CNG. Hartill rarity 7. Rare to very rare. Whilst most Chinese cash coins depict mint marks or characters depicting origin, those of animals are rare and are often mistaken to be charms. This variety of a running horse is an official issue and the motif bears tribute to the Chinese admiration to the vigorous and prized horses since the Han. The Emperor Chong Zhen was a tragic figure. Whilst the Ming lived on in name after his death, his suicide marked the official end of the mighty Ming Dynasty, torn and weakened by generations of gross corruption, mismanagement and natural disasters. Unlike his predecessors, Chong Zhen sincerely wished to reform and recover the Ming but the rot and his bouts of suspicion, paranoia and series of disastrous mistakes caused him his throne and life. When Beijing fell to the peasant rebel armies of Li Zicheng, Chong Zhen personally killed his immediate family before hanging himself from a tree at the gardens behind the Forbidden City. The spot still stands today and marks a grim picture to modern visitors of the event.
