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1 Cash - Shaoxing Tongbao
| Issuer | Empire of China |
|---|---|
| Year | 1131-1162 |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Technique | Cast |
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| Obverse description | Log in to see details |
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| Reverse description | Plain reverse (uniface) featuring a central square perforation framed by a raised inner rim, with a broad, smooth field extending to the raised outer rim. No inscriptions, symbols, or decorative elements are present. The surface exhibits heavy green and brown patination typical of cast bronze Song dynasty coinage recovered from circulation. |
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| Mintage | ND (1131-1162) |
| Additional information |
Shaoxing was the reign title of Emperor Gaozong, the founder of the Southern Song dynasty — though "founder" flatters the circumstances. Gaozong was a refugee emperor, having fled south after the Jurchen Jin dynasty captured the Song capital of Kaifeng in 1127 and took his father and brother captive in what the Chinese call the Jingkang Incident. The Shaoxing reign title itself, adopted in 1131, was a deliberate act of legitimizing propaganda: a new era name to signal continuity while the court was still moving between temporary capitals.
The thirty-year span of this reign produced considerable die variation across multiple mints, and Hartill distinguishes several sub-varieties within 17.52 based on character form and stroke execution.