Item number: A918

Year: AD 1054-1056

Material: Bronze

Size: 24.4 x 24.2 x 0.7 mm

Weight: 3.1 g

Provenance:

1. Noonans 2022

2. D. L. F. Sealy Collection

During the Zhihe era (AD 1054–AD 1056) under Emperor Renzong of the Northern Song Dynasty, three types of era coins were minted: “Zhihe Yuanbao,” “Zhihe Tongbao,” and “Zhihe Zhongbao,” with ” Zhihe Yuanbao ” available in three different script styles: Clerical, Regular, and Seal scripts.

This particular coin is an era coin from the reign of Emperor Renzong of the Northern Song Dynasty.

The obverse side of the coin is round with a square central hole, featuring both inner and outer rims, with the outer rim being notably wide and the inner rim narrow.

The inscriptions on the coin read “Zhi He Yuanbao” in a vertical, elongated Seal Script. Seal Script was the earliest form of Chinese writing before the emergence of Clerical Script, and it continued to evolve during later periods, including the Tang, Northern Song, Ming, and Qing dynasties.

The reverse side of the coin bears no denomination or inscription and is nearly worn smooth.

“Zhihe” was the eighth era name used by Emperor Renzong Zhao Zhen, and it signifies the ultimate harmony between heaven and earth.

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.

物件編號: A918

年代: 公元 1054-1056 年

材質: 青銅

尺寸: 24.4 x 24.2 x 0.7 mm

重量: 3.1 g

來源:

1. 諾南斯 2022

2. 大衛.萊斯利.福布斯.西利舊藏

北宋仁宗至和年間（公元1054-1056年）曾鑄行「至和元寶」、「至和通寶」、「至和重寶」年號錢，其中「至和元寶」有隸、楷、篆三種書體。

這是一枚出自北宋仁宗年間的年號錢。該枚錢幣的正面為圓形，中央為方形穿孔，具內外廓，外廓甚寬，內廓細窄。

錢文為篆書版的「至和元寶」，呈垂直瘦長樣。在隸書出現前，篆書是最早的漢字書寫系統，在後世的唐、北宋、明清皆有發展。錢幣背面則無面額、文字，且幾近磨平。

至和，是宋仁宗趙禎使用的第八個年號，有天地極和之涵義。宋仁宗時期的宰相為范仲淹，慶歷年間，君臣曾推行慶歷新法，然而因反對勢力過大而失敗。民間有傳聞「狸貓換太子」的故事，當中的主角也是當朝皇帝宋仁宗。