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1 Cash Kaiyuan Tongbao; Clerical script
| Issuer | Southern Tang Kingdom (Ten Kingdoms) |
|---|---|
| Year | 961-976 |
| Type | Standard circulation coin |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Obverse description | Log in to see details |
|---|---|
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| Reverse description | The reverse is uniface, featuring a plain flat field with a raised square boss surrounding the central square perforation and a raised outer rim. No inscription, decoration, or mint mark is present. The surface displays a mottled green and brown patina typical of cast bronze cash coins of the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms period. |
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| Mintage | ND (961-976) |
| Additional information |
The Southern Tang was the wealthiest of the Ten Kingdoms, controlling the lower Yangtze basin and its silk and tea revenues, yet by 961 it had already been forced into tributary submission to the nascent Song dynasty. Li Yu, the last ruler and celebrated poet-emperor, continued issuing coinage under his own authority during these final fifteen years — a increasingly hollow assertion of independence that ended when Song forces took Nanjing in 975.
The clerical script variety of the Kaiyuan Tongbao formula is a deliberate archaism, invoking the great Tang prototype of 621 AD while distinguishing Southern Tang output from contemporary northern issues. Hartill 15.101 is moderately scarce relative to the regular script emissions of the same reign.