Item number: A1121

Year: AD 1229

Material: Bronze

Size: 29.6 x 29.6 x 1.2 mm

Weight: 5.7 g

Provenance:

1. Noonans 2022

2. D. L. F. Sealy Collection

This coin is a “Shaoding Tongbao” minted during the reign of Emperor Lizong of the Southern Song Dynasty. Its denomination is believed to be a two-cash coin. The coin’s distinctive feature is its inscriptions in a regular script style, although the characters have suffered slight damage.

This is a square-holed coin. The obverse side has a square hole in the centre, with the four characters “Shaoding Tongbao” inscribed in regular script around it, though the inscriptions show signs of minor wear.

The reverse side also features a central square hole, with the character “two” indicating that it was minted in the second year of the Shaoding era. Additionally, there is a raised flaw beneath the character on the reverse side.

The Shaoding Tongbao was minted during the Shaoding era of Emperor Lizong’s reign (AD 1228–AD 1233) in the Southern Song Dynasty. It served as an important currency of the time, along with the Shaoding Yuanbao, although the Yuanbao coins are relatively rarer. These coins were made from either copper or iron. The denominations of the Tongbao coins included one-cash, two-cash, and three-cash types, while the Yuanbao coins are known to have denominations of three-cash and five-cash.

According to the standard specifications for coins of the Song dynasty, a two-cash coin typically has a diameter of approximately 28 to 30 mm. Therefore, this Shaoding Tongbao coin is likely of the two-cash denomination.

物件編號: A1121

年代: 公元 1229 年

材質: 青銅

尺寸: 29.6 x 29.6 x 1.2 mm

重量: 5.7 g

來源:

1. 諾南斯 2022

2. 大衛.萊斯利.福布斯.西利舊藏

這枚錢幣是南宋理宗時期鑄造的「紹定通寶」，面額應為折二錢，其特色是幣面文字採楷書風格，字體受到些微損傷。

這是一枚方孔錢。錢幣的正面中央有一方孔，幣面刻有楷書「紹定通寶」四字對讀，但字跡都有些微磨蝕痕跡。錢幣的反面中央也有一方孔，幣面鑄有「二」字，表示為紹定二年鑄造。此外，反面下方有一凸起的瑕疵。

紹定通寶鑄造於南宋理宗紹定年間(公元1228-1233年)，與紹定元寶同為此時重要的通貨，但元寶錢較為稀少。材質有銅和鐵兩種。通寶錢面額有小平、折二、折三等型，元寶錢面額目前所知大概有折三、折五等型。

按兩宋錢幣形制來看，折二錢約在直徑28至30毫米左右，故這枚紹聖元寶應為折二錢。