This is a “Shaosheng Yuanbao” coin minted under the reign of Emperor Zhezong, the seventh emperor of the Northern Song Dynasty, using his second era name. Emperor Zhezong reigned for 15 years and adopted a total of three era names during his rule.
The coin has the typical square-holed design. On the obverse side, the characters “Shaosheng Yuanbao” are inscribed in running script in a clockwise order. The reverse side of the coin features a crescent-shaped symbol at the lower edge, facing downward.
The Shaosheng Yuanbao was minted during the Shaosheng era (AD 1094–AD 1098) of Emperor Zhezong’s reign in the Northern Song Dynasty. During this period, other coins such as Shaosheng Tongbao and Shaosheng Chongbao were also minted, made from both copper and iron.
The Shaosheng Yuanbao and Shaosheng Tongbao coins were the main currencies of the time, with the Yuanbao coins being more prevalent. The Shaosheng Yuanbao coins came in denominations ranging from one-cash coins to five-cash coins, and the inscriptions were produced in three script styles: seal script, clerical script, and running script. The Shaosheng Tongbao coins were primarily issued as one-cash coins, with their inscriptions mainly in regular script.
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.
