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Southern Song Dynasty
Jiading Tongbao
(Upward Ten)
南宋
嘉定通寶
(背上十)
Item number: A1106
Year: AD 1217
Material: Iron
Size: 29.6 x 29.4 x 1.6 mm
Weight: 7.0 g
Provenance:
1. Noonans 2022
2. D. L. F. Sealy Collection
This is an iron coin minted during the Southern Song Dynasty under the reign of the fourth emperor, Emperor Ningzong. The coin bears the inscription “Jiading Tongbao,” corresponding to the fourth era name used by Emperor Ningzong, Zhao Kuo, during his thirty-year reign. Among the four era names used—”Qingyuan,” “Jiatai,” “Kaixi,” and “Jiading”—”Jiading” was in use the longest, resulting in a wide variety of coins minted under this name.
The coin is of the typical square-holed design. Due to its age, the surface has suffered damage and corrosion, but the inscription remains discernible. On the obverse side, the four Chinese characters “Jiading Tongbao” are engraved in regular script, arranged sequentially from top to bottom, right to left. The reverse side of the coin features a year symbol, “Ten,” positioned at the top.This indicates that the coin was minted in the 10th year of Jiading (AD 1217).
In the 2nd year of the Kaixi era (AD 1206), under the direction of Chancellor Han Tuozhou, Emperor Ningzong of the Song Dynasty initiated an offensive against the Jin Dynasty. However, the campaign soon reached a stalemate. In the 3rd year of Kaixi (AD 1207), following Han Tuozhou’s assassination in a coup, the Southern Song and Jin Dynasties began peace negotiations. During this time, Emperor Ningzong changed the era name to “Jiading,” and the resulting treaty became known as the “Jiading Peace Accord.” The treaty maintained the existing borders but forced the Southern Song to increase its annual tribute payments to the Jin Dynasty.
Subsequently, in the 10th year of Jiading (AD 1217), another four-year conflict erupted between the two states, leading to significant inflation within the Southern Song and a massive increase in the minting of iron coins. Meanwhile, the Jin Dynasty, weakened by multiple wars, paved the way for the rise of the emerging Mongol forces in the north.
During the Song Dynasty, in addition to bronze coins, one notable feature was the widespread circulation of iron coins, a phenomenon rarely seen in other dynasties. This practise arose primarily for two reasons: first, the domestic shortage of copper resources; and second, the need to prevent copper coins from flowing into the hands of northern rival states, such as the Western Xia, Liao, and Jin. As a result, the Song court initially began minting iron coins, and later introduced early forms of paper money, such as Jiaozi and Huizi, as alternative currency.