Item number: A933

Year: AD 1127-1130

Material: Bronze

Size: 28.5 x 28.6 x 1.8 mm

Weight: 7.75 g

Provenance:

1. Noonans 2022

2. D. L. F. Sealy Collection

This coin, minted during the reign of Emperor Gaozong of the Southern Song dynasty, is a “Jianyan Tongbao” featuring inscriptions in seal script. The inscriptions on the coin’s surface are partially damaged.

The coin is a typical square-holed coin, with a square hole at the centre of the obverse. The obverse side bears the four characters “Jianyan Tongbao” in seal script, though the inscriptions show signs of erosion, with the characters “Jian” (建) and “Tong” (通) being particularly damaged. The reverse side also has a central square hole, with noticeable black stains on the left and upper areas of the surface. Overall, the coin’s surface condition is uneven on both sides.

The “Jianyan Tongbao” coins were minted during the Jianyan era (AD 1127-AD 1130) of Emperor Gaozong’s reign, a period marked by the transition of power and the Southern migration of the Song court. Despite these upheavals, the minting of coins continued uninterrupted, with many mints remaining active in producing currency. Among the various types of “Jianyan Tongbao” coins, those featuring regular and seal scripts are most common.

Furthermore, extant “Jianyan Tongbao” coins can be categorised into “one cash,” “two cash,” and “three cash,” with “two cash” being the most prevalent among surviving specimens. The denomination of the coins can be distinguished by their size and weight. According to existing data, standard “one cash” coins have a diameter of approximately 25 mm and weigh around 3.5 g; “two cash” coins have a diameter of about 28 mm and weigh around 5.7 g; and “three cash” coins have a diameter of about 30 mm and weigh approximately 9.3 g.

This “Jianyan Tongbao” coin has an approximate diameter of 28 mm and a weight of 7.75 g, which shows a significant deviation from the standard specifications for both “two cash” and “three cash” coins. Due to these discrepancies, it is difficult to determine the exact denomination of this coin, and further evidence is needed to draw a definitive conclusion.

物件編號: A933

年代: 公元 1127-1130 年

材質: 青銅

尺寸: 28.5 x 28.6 x 1.8 mm

重量: 7.75 g

來源:

1. 諾南斯 2022

2. 大衛.萊斯利.福布斯.西利舊藏

這枚錢幣是南宋高宗時期鑄造的「建炎通寶」，其特色是幣面文字採篆書風格，幣面文字有局部受損。

這是一枚方孔錢。錢幣的正面中央有一方孔，幣面有篆書「建炎通寶」四字，但字跡都有磨蝕痕跡。尤其「建」和「通」兩字受損更為嚴重。錢幣的反面中央也有一方孔，幣面左方和上方皆有明顯的黑色污痕。整體而言錢幣正反面成色皆不均勻。

建炎通寶鑄造於南宋高宗建炎年間(公元1127-1130年)，此時正值政權遞嬗、宋室南遷的階段，不過此時鑄錢工作卻未見停歇，反而有多數錢監持續進行製錢工作。而在眾多的建炎通寶中，以楷書、篆書字體為多。

另外，在傳世的建炎通寶中，可分為小平錢、折二、折三錢，其中傳世錢幣中又以折二錢為最。面額大小區分的方式主要可從尺寸、重量辨別。依據現有資料顯示，標準小平錢直徑約為25毫米左右，重量約3.5克左右；折二錢直徑約28毫米左右，重量約5.7克左右；折三錢直徑約30毫米左右，重量約9.3克左右。

這枚建炎通寶的尺寸約略為直徑28毫米，重量7.75克，顯然與標準折二錢和折三錢存在明顯誤差，因此難以判別其面額，有關證據尚待考究。