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Southern Song Dynasty
Jiatai Tongbao
(Upward Four)
南宋
嘉泰通寶
(背上四)
Item number: A1125
Year: AD 1204
Material: Iron
Size: 29.3 x 29.4 x 1.4 mm
Weight: 6.0 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, 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.Due to the passage of time, the surface of the coin has suffered damage and corrosion, though the inscription remains legible. On the obverse side, the four Chinese characters “Jiatai 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, “four,” positioned at the top.This indicates that the coin was minted in the 4th year of Jiatai (AD 1204).
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.