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1/2 Cash - Tangguo Tongbao, Clerical script
| Issuer | Southern Tang Kingdom |
|---|---|
| Year | 959-961 |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | Log in to see details |
| Currency | Cash (937-976) |
| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Diameter | Log in to see details |
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| Obverse description | Cast bronze cash coin bearing four Chinese characters in clerical script (lishu), arranged in the traditional cruciform reading order: top to bottom, right to left, surrounding a central square hole. The four characters 唐國通寶 (Tang Guo Tong Bao) are rendered in bold, well-defined strokes with characteristic clerical script angularity. Each character occupies one quadrant of the coin face, separated by the raised inner square rim surrounding the perforation. The flat field shows natural casting texture with areas of green and blue patination consistent with age. |
|---|---|
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| Obverse lettering | Log in to see details |
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| Edge | Plain |
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| Additional information |
The Southern Tang issued this fractional cash during the kingdom's death spiral — Li Yu, the last ruler, had already ceded the title of emperor under pressure from the expanding Song and was governing what remained as a nominal vassal. The Tangguo Tongbao series was struck in this final window, with the half-cash denomination reflecting a state treasury too depleted to sustain full-weight coinage.
Clerical script examples are notably scarcer than the seal script issues of the same type.