Item number: A772

Year: AD 1064-1067

Material: Bronze

Size: 23.6 x 23.6 x 1.1 mm

Weight: 4.0 g

Provenance:

1. Noonans 2022

2. D. L. F. Sealy Collection

This is a “Zhiping Yuanbao” coin minted during the reign of Emperor Yingzong, the fifth emperor of the Northern Song Dynasty, using his era name. Emperor Yingzong ruled for only four years before passing away due to illness, resulting in the use of only one era name during his reign.

The coin follows the typical square-holed design. On the obverse side of the coin, the four characters “Zhiping Yuanbao” are inscribed in a clockwise order. This coin is extremely rare as it uniquely combines two different calligraphic styles: the bottom character “元” is in seal script, while the other three characters are in regular script. The reverse side of the coin is plain, without any inscriptions or designs, and shows some green patina.

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: A772

年代: 公元 1064-1067 年

材質: 青銅

尺寸: 23.6 x 23.6 x 1.1 mm

重量: 4.0 g

來源:

1. 諾南斯 2022

2. 大衛.萊斯利.福布斯.西利舊藏

這是北宋的第五任皇帝英宗，以其年號鑄造的「治平元寶」。英宗在位期間僅有四年，便因病駕崩故只有使用過一個年號。

錢幣形制為典型的方孔錢。錢幣正面按順時針鐫刻「治平元寶」四字。這枚錢幣極為罕見混合兩種書法字體，最下方的「元」字為篆書，其他三個字為楷書。錢幣背面為光背，沒有任何文字或圖案，並且有些許綠色鏽斑。

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。