Item number: A1124

Year: AD 1201-1204

Material: Iron

Size: 28.0 x 27.4 x 1.0 mm

Weight: 4.55 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, between AD 1201 and AD 1204. The coin bears the inscription “Jiatai Tongbao,” corresponding to the second era name used by Emperor Ningzong, Zhao Kuo, during his thirty-year reign. Throughout his reign, Emperor Ningzong adopted four era names: “Qingyuan,” “Jiatai,” “Kaixi,” and “Jiading.”

The coin is of the typical square-holed design. On the obverse side, the four Chinese characters “Jiatai Tongbao” are inscribed in regular script, arranged sequentially from top to bottom, right to left. The reverse side is plain, with no patterns or inscriptions, and exhibits significant wear, resulting in a blurred appearance and obscured details.

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.

物件編號: A1124

年代: 公元 1201-1204 年

材質: 鐵

尺寸: 28.0 x 27.4 x 1.0 mm

重量: 4.55 g

來源:

1. 諾南斯 2022

2. 大衛.萊斯利.福布斯.西利舊藏

這是一枚南宋的第四任皇帝宋寧宗，於公元1201至1204年間，以其使用的第二個年號所鑄造的「嘉泰通寶」，材質為鐵。宋寧宗趙擴在位的三十年間，曾先後使用過「慶元、嘉泰、開禧、 嘉定」四個年號。

錢幣形制為典型的方孔錢。錢幣正面按上、下、右、左順序，依序以楷書書法鐫刻漢字「嘉泰通寶」四字。錢幣背面為光背，沒有任何圖案或文字，並且有嚴重的磨蝕現象，使得外觀和細節十分模糊。

兩宋時期的錢幣以青銅為材料外，其特色尚有大規模的鐵幣流通，為其他朝代少見的現象。之所以如此，一來是國內的銅礦資源缺乏；二來是防止銅錢流入競爭對手，諸如西夏、遼和金等北方政權，使得兩宋朝廷先是鑄造鐵錢，後來更出現紙幣雛形的「交子、會子」作為貨幣。