Item number: A824

Year: AD 976-984

Material: Bronze

Size: 24.9 x 24.9 x 0.9 mm

Weight: 3.05 g

Provenance:

1. Noonans 2022

2. D. L. F. Sealy Collection

This coin, known as “Taiping Tongbao,” was minted during the early reign of the second emperor of the Northern Song Dynasty, Emperor Taizong, and named after his first era title, “Taiping Xingguo.” It is the first coin of the Song Dynasty to bear an era name. Emperor Taizong ruled for 21 years, during which he used five different era titles.

The coin is of the typical square-holed design. On the obverse side, the four Chinese characters “Taiping Tongbao” are inscribed in clerical script, arranged in the order of top, bottom, right, and left. The reverse side of the coin is blank, without any inscriptions or designs.

Emperor Taizong of Song, Zhao Kuangyi, was the younger brother of the founding emperor, Zhao Kuangyin. Zhao Kuangyi’s succession is marred by the suspicion of fratricide, famously known as the “Candle Shadows and Axe Sounds” incident, coupled with several military failures during his northern campaigns against the Liao Dynasty. Consequently, he shifted his focus towards cultural endeavours, making it his mission to promote Confucianism. The two brothers, Emperor Taizu and Taizong, are often regarded as embodying the military and civil foundations of the Song Dynasty, respectively.

Emperor Taizu, during the Chunhua period (AD 990-AD 994), personally inscribed the calligraphy for the new currency “Chunhua Yuanbao,” making it the first coin in Chinese history to feature the emperor’s handwriting, known as “Imperial Script Money” (御書錢).

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: A824

年代: 公元 976-984 年

材質: 青銅

尺寸: 24.9 x 24.9 x 0.9 mm

重量: 3.05 g

來源:

1. 諾南斯 2022

2. 大衛.萊斯利.福布斯.西利舊藏

這是北宋的第二任皇帝宋太宗登基之初，以其第一個年號「太平興國」命名鑄造的「太平通寶」，為宋朝第一種年號錢。宋太宗統治的21年間，前後使用過五個年號。

錢幣形制為典型的方孔錢。錢幣正面按上、下、右、左順序，依序以隸書書法鐫刻漢字「太平通寶」四字。錢幣背面為光背，沒有任何文字和圖案。

宋太宗趙匡義為宋朝開國皇帝趙匡胤的弟弟，由於趙匡義的繼承深陷殺害哥哥的「燭影斧聲」嫌疑，和數次北伐遼國的軍事失敗，使他轉而推行文化工作以發揚儒學為己任。宋太祖和太宗兩兄弟被視為一武一文，奠定宋朝的基礎。宋太祖更在淳化年間(公元990至994年)，親手書寫新貨幣「淳化元寶」書法，為中國歷史上第一種皇帝親筆書寫的「御書錢」。

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。