2 Cash - Yongli (Tongbao; Grass script)

The 2 Cash Yongli Tongbao coin was minted during the reign of the Yongli Emperor of the Southern Ming dynasty, specifically issued by the Tungning Kingdom under Koxinga. As the Ming loyalist forces retreated to Taiwan, these coins served as a crucial instrument of political legitimacy, asserting the authority of the Southern Ming court in exile against the encroaching Qing dynasty. The coinage was minted in varying denominations to facilitate local commerce and to fund the ongoing military struggle for Ming restoration.

The specific grass script variety of these coins reflects the calligraphic traditions favored by the Ming elite, emphasizing cultural continuity and scholarly prestige. Designers aimed to maintain the aesthetic standards of traditional Chinese numismatics despite the precarious geopolitical circumstances of the time. Upon their release, these coins were widely circulated within the military garrisons and civilian settlements of Taiwan, eventually becoming highly regarded symbols of the short-lived Tungning state in historical and numismatic studies.