Four Chinese characters - Shun Zhi Tong Bao / mint name in Manchoo (Boo-Chiowan). 20.5mm, 1.19 grams. Imitating the Board of Revenue mint. Hartill #- (imitating #22.70)

During the early Qing period, privately cast cash coins circulated alongside official Qing issues, particularly in areas where supplies of government coinage were inadequate. These contemporary private issues often imitated official Qianlong Tongbao cash but were generally lighter, cruder, and more variable in manufacture.

The Shunzhi Emperor (1644–1661) was the first Qing emperor to rule over China proper after the Manchu conquest of Beijing in 1644. His reign established Qing authority over much of China and introduced the Shunzhi Tongbao cash coinage, which became the foundation for the standardized copper cash issues of subsequent Qing emperors.