Item number: A810-2

Year: AD 998-1003

Material: Bronze

Size: 24.7 x 24.9 x 1.0 mm

Weight: 3.65 g

Provenance:

1. Noonans 2022

2. D. L. F. Sealy Collection

This coin, inscribed with “Xianping Tongbao,” was minted during the reign of Emperor Zhenzong, the third emperor of the Northern Song Dynasty, under his first era name, “Xianping.” During his 24-year reign, Emperor Zhenzong of the Song Dynasty, Zhao Heng, used a total of five different era names. The era name “Xianping” carries the meaning of “universal peace” or “peace throughout the realm.”

The coin follows the typical square-holed design and has a notably thick and sturdy structure. On the obverse side, the four Chinese characters “Xianping Tongbao” are inscribed in regular script in a clockwise order, with the calligraphy personally written by Emperor Zhenzong. Starting from Emperor Taizu, the founding emperor of the Song Dynasty, several emperors personally inscribed the calligraphy on coins, leading to these coins being referred to as “Imperial Script Coins” (御書錢). The reverse side of the coin is blank, without any inscriptions or designs.

In the early years of Emperor Zhenzong’s reign, the Northern Song Dynasty faced persistent harassment from the neighbouring Liao Empire. This culminated in the signing of the “Treaty of Chanyuan,” in which the Song agreed to pay tribute in exchange for peace. This treaty set a precedent for the Song Dynasty, which later followed a similar strategy of securing peace with the Western Xia and the Jin Dynasty through the payment of annual tributes.

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: A810-2

年代: 公元 998-1003 年

材質: 青銅

尺寸: 24.7 x 24.9 x 1.0 mm

重量: 3.65 g

來源:

1. 諾南斯 2022

2. 大衛.萊斯利.福布斯.西利舊藏

這是北宋的第三位皇帝宋真宗在位期間，以其頭一個年號所鑄造的「咸平通寶」。宋真宗趙恆在位24年間，先後使用過五個年號，「咸平」有天下太平的涵義。

錢幣形制為典型的方孔錢，整體十分厚實。錢幣正面以宋真宗親手提字的楷書書法，以順時針順序鐫刻漢字「咸平通寶」四字。自宋真宗的父親高宗起，多位宋朝皇帝親自題寫錢幣的書法，這些錢幣被稱作「御書錢」。錢幣背面為光背，沒有任何文字或圖案。

宋真宗在位初年面對北方強鄰遼國的騷擾，最終跟遼國簽訂以金錢換取和平的「澶淵之盟」，開啟宋朝以歲幣先後跟西夏和金國換取和平的先例。

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。