Item number: A878

Year: AD 1174-1179

Material: Bronze

Size: 23.4 x 23.2 x 0.7 mm

Weight: 2.25 g

Provenance:

1. Noonans 2022

2. D. L. F. Sealy Collection

This coin was minted during the reign of the second emperor of the Southern Song Dynasty, Emperor Xiaozong, under his third reign title, “Chunxi.” The coin, known as “Chunxi Yuanbao,” is made of bronze. Based on differences in script, Chunxi Yuanbao coins are classified into two types: seal script and regular script. After Chunxi’s 7th year (AD 1180), only the regular script version was issued, and these coins featured a date mark on the reverse side.

The coin follows the typical square-holed design. On the obverse, the four Chinese characters “Chunxi Yuanbao” are inscribed in regular script in a clockwise sequence, though the characters have become worn and are now largely illegible. On the reverse side, there is an upward-facing crescent moon motif at the top, serving as a decorative element.

Emperor Xiaozong of the Southern Song Dynasty, Zhao Shen, was a collateral relative of the dynasty’s founding emperor, Gaozong. After ascending the throne, Xiaozong rehabilitated the reputation of the general Yue Fei, posthumously honouring him as Eguo Gong, and purged the faction of the infamous minister Qin Hui. However, following the failed Northern Expedition against the Jin dynasty in AD 1164, Xiaozong signed the Longxing Peace Treaty and changed the era name to Qiandao, securing over forty years of peaceful development. In AD 1189, Xiaozong abdicated in favour of his son, Emperor Guangzong, and passed away five years later.

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: A878

年代: 公元 1174-1179 年

材質: 青銅

尺寸: 23.4 x 23.2 x 0.7 mm

重量: 2.25 g

來源:

1. 諾南斯 2022

2. 大衛.萊斯利.福布斯.西利舊藏

這是南宋第二任皇帝宋孝宗，以其使用的第三個年號所鑄造的「淳熙元寶」，材質為青銅。淳熙元寶按照字體差異，分為篆書和楷書兩種。而淳熙7年(公元1180年)後，發行的淳熙元寶僅見楷書字體，並且在反面加上發行的紀年符號。

錢幣形制為典型的方孔錢。錢幣正面按順時針順序，依序以楷書書法鐫刻漢字「淳熙元寶」四字，然而字體多已磨蝕不清。錢幣背面的上方，則有一個朝上的仰月作為裝飾。

宋孝宗趙昚為南宋第一任皇帝宋高宗的旁系。孝宗繼位後平反岳飛的聲譽，追封其為鄂國公，並且清除秦檜的黨羽。然而公元1164年，北伐金國失敗後簽訂「隆興和議」並將年號改為乾道，卻也換取長達四十餘年的和平發展。公元1189年，宋孝宗將皇位禪讓兒子光宗，並於五年之後駕崩。

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。