Item number:

Year: AD 759-763

Material: 6.2 g

Size: 31.3 x 1.7 mm

Weight:

Provenance:

1. Spink 2023

2. Dr. Werner Burger

The prolonged An Lushan Rebellion spanning eight years severely impacted the economy of the Tang Dynasty, facing challenges such as high military expenditures, wartime economic disruptions, declining mining industry, and rampant inflation. To raise military funds and mitigate fiscal deficits, Emperor Suzong of Tang, Li Heng, issued the Qianyuan Zhongbao currency: Qianyuan Zhongbao coins valued at ten cash in the first year of Qianyuan (758 AD), and fifty cash with a reverse rim of outer circles in the second year of Qianyuan (759 AD). Consequently, a chaotic situation emerged in the market with the concurrent circulation of Kaiyuan Tongbao, Qianyuan Zhongbao (ten cash), and Qianyuan Zhongbao (fifty cash with reverse rims).

The Qianyuan Zhongbao fifty-cash coin (Qianyuan Zhongbao fifty cash with reverse rims) was minted following the An Lushan Rebellion. Initially, it gained popularity due to its light weight and disproportionately high purchasing power. Consequently, people began clandestinely melting down their small coins, bronze items, and bronze Buddha statues to recast them into Qianyuan Zhongbao coins for greater profit. As inflation persisted, the quality of such coins deteriorated continuously, with reductions in the proportion of metals used leading to weight loss. As a result, the populace highly valued the original official coins from the initial minting, immediately hoarding them upon receipt and ceasing their circulation.

In the first year of Bao Ying during the reign of Tang Dezong (762 AD), the policy was established that one Qianyuan Zhongbao fifty-cash coin and one Qianyuan Zhongbao ten-cash coin were to be exchanged at par with one Kaiyuan Tongbao coin. However, due to the fact that the copper content of one Qianyuan Zhongbao coin could be recast into three Kaiyuan Tongbao coins, resulting in a profit margin tripled, the majority of these coins were privately melted down. Consequently, those that have survived are exceedingly rare.

物件編號:

年代: 公元 759-763 年

材料:

尺寸: 31.3 x 1.7 mm

重量: 6.2 g

來源:

1. 斯賓克拍賣行 2023

2. 布威納博士舊藏

長達八年的安史之亂使唐朝經濟衰落，面臨著高額軍事開支、戰亂經濟、衰敗的採礦業和高通貨膨脹的時期，為了籌措軍費，填補財政虧空，唐肅宗李亨於乾元元年 (公元758年) 和乾元二年分別發行了乾元重寶當十錢及背面外郭為重輪的乾元重寶當五十大錢。因此市面出現開元通寶、乾元重寶十錢、重輪乾元重寶五十錢三錢並行流通的混亂情形。

該幣乾元重寶五十文(重輪乾元重寶五十錢) 在安史之亂後鑄造，最初因其重量輕而與其擁有的高購買力不成比例而受到歡迎，因此民眾也開始私自熔化他們的小錢幣、青銅物品和青銅佛像，以便重新私鑄成乾元重寶以獲取更大的利潤。隨著通貨膨脹的持續，此類錢幣的質量不斷下降，所使用的金屬比例也不斷降低減重，因此民間對初鑄之官樣錢頗為珍惜，一到手就藏起來，不再流通。

唐代宗寶應元年（公元762年）改重輪乾元重寶五十錢與乾元重寶十錢一律與開元通寶等量兌換，但因1枚乾元重寶的銅可以改鑄開元通寶3枚，在獲利3倍的情況下，大多錢幣被私熔，因此能夠流存下來的更加稀有!

——文章改編取自Spink