Four Chinese characters - Chong Zhen Tong Bao / Hu Er (=for “Board of Revenue, 2 cash”). 25mm, 3.0 grams. Issued in 1628-1644 AD. Hartill 20.321

Rare two cash issue – even though they are inscribed with the name of the Board of Revenue, there was a second Board of Revenue which issued coins in Nanjing, and it is thought that these lighter inflationary pieces were cast very late in the troubled reign of Si Zong in the south, not in Beijing.

The Ming Dynasty or Empire of the Great Ming , was the ruling dynasty of China from 1368 to 1644, following the collapse of the Mongol-led Yuan Dynasty. The Ming, one of the greatest eras of orderly government and social stability in human history, was the last dynasty in China ruled by ethnic Hans. Ming rule saw the construction of a vast navy and a standing army of one million troops. The Ming dynasty is often regarded as both a high point in Chinese civilization as well as a dynasty in which early signs of capitalism emerged. Although the Ming capital Beijing fell in 1644 to a rebellion led by Li Zicheng, which was itself soon replaced by the Manchu-led Qing Dynasty, regimes loyal to the Ming throne (collectively called the Southern Ming) survived until 1662.

This coin is unconditionally guaranteed to be authentic.