Item number: A935

Year: AD 1194

Material: Bronze

Size: 29.8 x 29.4 x 1.6 mm

Weight: 6.75 g

Provenance:

1. Noonans 2022

2. D. L. F. Sealy Collection

This is a bronze coin minted during the Southern Song Dynasty under the reign of the third emperor, Emperor Guangzong, bearing the inscription “Shaoxi Yuanbao,” corresponding to the era name “Shaoxi.”

The coin is of the typical square-holed design. On the obverse side, the four Chinese characters “Shaoxi Yuanbao” are engraved in regular script, arranged in a clockwise direction. On the reverse side, at the bottom, there is a faint “Five” year mark, indicating that the coin was minted in the 5th year of the Shaoxi era (AD 1194).

Emperor Guangzong (Zhao Dun) of the Song Dynasty ascended to the throne at the age of 42, making him the oldest person to become emperor in Song history. However, during his reign, he faced exclusion and opposition from court officials and the empress dowager. In AD 1194, he was forced to abdicate in favour of the underage Crown Prince Ningzong, ruling for only five years. In AD 1200, Guangzong passed away at the age of 54 while living in retirement as a retired emperor.

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: A935

年代: 公元 1194 年

材質: 青銅

尺寸: 29.8 x 29.4 x 1.6 mm

重量: 6.75 g

來源:

1. 諾南斯 2022

2. 大衛.萊斯利.福布斯.西利舊藏

這是南宋第三任皇帝光宗在位期間，以其年號所鑄造的「紹熙元寶」，材質為青銅。

錢幣形制為典型的方孔錢。錢幣正面按順時針方向，依序以楷書書法鐫刻漢字「紹熙元寶」四字。錢幣背面的下方，則依稀可見「五」記年符號，代表這枚錢幣於紹熙五年(公元1194年)鑄造。

宋光宗趙惇於42歲接受父親孝宗的禪讓，成為宋朝最老登基為皇帝的紀錄。然而在位期間，受到朝臣和皇太后的排擠，更在公元1194年被迫禪讓予未成年的太子寧宗，在位期間僅有五年。公元1200年，退居為太上皇的光宗病逝，年僅54歲。

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。