Item number: A1251

Year: AD 759

Material: Copper

Size: 36.22 x 36.81 mm

Weight: 19.43 g

Manufactured by: Luoyang

Provenance: Da Chen Stamps and Coins Collection 2016

This is a “De Yi Yuan Bao” coin minted during the Tang Dynasty, specifically during the An Shi Rebellion, by the Da Yan Kingdom under the rule of Shi Siming. The coin is round with a square hole in the centre, and the inscription “De Yi Yuan Bao” is written in clerical script, read in a clockwise direction. On the reverse side of the coin, there is a decorative upward-facing crescent moon at the top.

In AD 755, An Lushan launched a rebellion, citing the execution of Yang Guozhong as his pretext, and led an army of over 200,000 troops. After capturing Luoyang, he declared himself emperor and established the “Da Yan” kingdom, forcing Emperor Xuanzong to flee to Sichuan. The rebellion lasted for eight years before it was finally suppressed, severely weakening the Tang Dynasty’s power. During the turmoil, An Lushan was assassinated by his son, An Qingxu, who was later killed by Shi Siming. Shi Siming then absorbed An Qingxu’s forces and declared himself “Emperor of Da Yan.” While Shi Siming controlled Luoyang, he minted the “De Yi Yuan Bao” coin as currency, which had a value equivalent to 100 Kaiyuan coins. However, rumors spread that “De Yi” was an omen of short reign, leading Shi Siming to order the cessation of the “De Yi Yuan Bao” minting and the issuance of the “Shun Tian Yuan Bao” coin instead. As a result, the “De Yi Yuan Bao” was quickly discontinued, and many were melted down during the chaos of war. This led to the saying, “Shun Tian is easy to find, but De Yi is hard to obtain,” highlighting the rarity of the “De Yi Yuan Bao” coin.

物件編號: A1251

年代: 公元 759 年

材質: 銅

尺寸: 36.22 x 36.81 mm

重量:19.43 g

製造地: 洛陽

來源: 大城郵幣社 2016

這是一枚在唐朝安史之亂期間，由史思明的大燕國政權所鑄造的「德壹元寶」，錢面圓形、方形穿孔、錢文「德壹元寶」旋讀，以隸書書寫，錢幣背面的上方，則有一個朝上的仰月作為裝飾。

公元755年，安祿山以誅殺楊國忠的名義，率20餘萬軍隊起兵叛亂，在攻陷洛陽後稱帝，國號「大燕」，使玄宗被迫逃向四川，此亂事持續八年後方才平息，造成唐朝國力元氣大傷。在亂事期間安祿山被其子安慶緒所弒，其後安慶緒又被史思明所殺，史思明隨即兼併其勢力，稱己為「大燕皇帝」。在史思明盤據洛陽期間，其鑄造了「德壹元寶」作為貨幣，其幣值可抵開元錢百枚，在那之後因為有傳出「德壹」非長祚之兆的說法，所以史思明下令停鑄「德壹元寶」，改鑄「順天元寶」，導致「德壹元寶」在很短的時間內便停鑄了，加上戰亂之後多被銷熔，所以又有「順天易得，德壹難求」的說法來凸顯「德壹元寶」的稀有性。