Digital museum showcasing the collection of worldwide legends over the years! 千古不朽博物館展示多年來收藏的世界傳奇故事!
Northern Song Dynasty
Jiayou Yuanbao
(Regular Script Version)
北宋
嘉祐元寶
(楷書版)
Item number: A854-2
Year: AD 1056-1063
Material: Bronze
Size: 24.6 x 24.7 x 1.0 mm
Weight: 3.75 g
Provenance:
1. Noonans 2022
2. D. L. F. Sealy Collection
This coin was minted during the reign of the fourth emperor of the Northern Song Dynasty, Emperor Renzong, under his final era name, “Jiayou Yuanbao.” Emperor Renzong, Zhao Zhen, reigned for 41 years and used a total of nine era names throughout his time on the throne.
The coin follows the typical square-holed design. On the obverse, the four Chinese characters “Jiayou Yuanbao” are inscribed in regular script in a clockwise sequence. The reverse side is plain, without any patterns or inscriptions.
During Emperor Renzong’s reign, Fan Zhongyan served as the prime minister. During the Qingli period, they attempted to implement the Qingli New Policies, but the effort failed due to overwhelming opposition.
There is also a popular folk tale known as the “The Cat for the Crown Prince” (狸貓換太子), in which the protagonist is Emperor Renzong himself.
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.