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1 Cash - Anonymous Kaiyuan Tongbao, Gui
| Issuer | Tang Dynasty Imperial Mint |
|---|---|
| Year | 841-907 |
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| Value | Log in to see details |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Diameter | Log in to see details |
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| Orientation | Medal alignment ↑↑ |
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| Obverse description | Log in to see details |
|---|---|
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| Reverse description | Plain flat field surrounding the central square hole, with a single Chinese character 桂 (Gui) cast in raised relief in regular script (kaishu) to the right of the central perforation. The character serves as a mint mark identifying the issuing authority. The reverse is otherwise unadorned, enclosed within a raised outer rim, and displays a green patination with earthen deposits consistent with prolonged burial or circulation. |
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| Mintage | ND (841-907) |
| Additional information |
The Kaiyuan Tongbao series, introduced in 621 under Gaozu, became the template for Chinese cast coinage for over a millennium — the denomination system, the square hole, the four-character inscription format all descend from this single issue. By the period this piece was struck, the Tang court was hemorrhaging authority: the Huichang Suppression of Buddhism in 842–845 saw thousands of monasteries dissolved and their bronze statues and bells melted down to supply raw material for exactly these coins, a rare case of religious persecution directly funding a mint's output.
The "Gui" mint mark identifies production from Guizhou. Late Tang provincial issues are frequently cast with less care than earlier metropolitan pieces, and the Hartill 14.60 designation places this within the anonymous issues — no reign mark, no emperor attributable with confidence.