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1 Cash - Huangsong Tongbao, Seal script, iron
| Issuer | Song Dynasty Imperial Mint |
|---|---|
| Year | 1039-1054 |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | 1 Cash |
| Currency | Log in to see details |
| Composition | Log in to see details |
| Weight | Log in to see details |
| Diameter | Log in to see details |
| Thickness | Log in to see details |
| Shape | Log in to see details |
| Technique | Log in to see details |
| Orientation | Log in to see details |
| Engraver(s) | Log in to see details |
| In circulation to | Log in to see details |
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| Obverse description | Log in to see details |
|---|---|
| Obverse script | Chinese (traditional, seal script) |
| Obverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Reverse description | Plain reverse (uniface), with a raised inner square rim surrounding the central square perforation and a raised outer rim encircling the flan. The field between the rims is entirely blank, with no inscriptions, symbols, or decorative elements, as is characteristic of Northern Song cast iron cash coinage. |
| Reverse script | Log in to see details |
| Reverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Edge | Log in to see details |
| Mint | Log in to see details |
| Mintage | Log in to see details |
| Additional information |
Huangsong Tongbao was issued during the reign of Emperor Renzong, one of the longest-reigning Song emperors at over four decades on the throne. The Huangsong era name itself ran only from 1049 to 1054, though some iron cash of this type were struck slightly earlier under transitional mint arrangements. Iron coinage in the Song period was not a mark of economic failure but rather a deliberate regional policy — iron cash circulated primarily in frontier zones like Shaanxi and Sichuan, where copper was strategically restricted to prevent metal from crossing into Liao or Xi Xia territory.
Iron coins of this period corrode aggressively, and survivors with legible surfaces are genuinely scarce despite once-substantial mintages.