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1 Cash - Shengsong Yuanbao, Seal script, iron
| Issuer | Northern Song Dynasty Imperial Mint |
|---|---|
| Year | 1101-1106 |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | 1 Cash |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
| Weight | Log in to see details |
| Diameter | Log in to see details |
| Thickness | Log in to see details |
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| Obverse description | Circular cast coin with a central square hole, surrounded by a raised inner rim and outer rim. Four Chinese characters in Seal script (篆書) are arranged in cruciform fashion around the central aperture, reading clockwise: 聖、宋、元、寶 (Shèng Sòng Yuán Bǎo), meaning 'Sacred Song Original Currency.' The Seal script characters are boldly rendered with characteristic rounded, archaic strokes, occupying the four quadrants of the coin field between the inner and outer raised rims. |
|---|---|
| Obverse script | Log in to see details |
| Obverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Reverse description | Log in to see details |
| Reverse script | Log in to see details |
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| Mint | Fengyuan Mint (丰远监), Jiazhou(Jiading-du), modern-day Leshan, Sichuan, China (?-1059; 1069-1129; 1153-?) Hezhong Mint (河中府钱院),Hezhong-fu, modern-day Puzhou, Yongji, Shanxi, China (circa 1087) Huimin Mint (惠民监), Qiongzhou,modern-day Qionglai, Sichuan, China Jizhong Mint (济众监), Xingzhou,modern-day Lüeyang, Shaanxi, China (1006-1128) Longde-fu Mint (隆德府监),modern-day Changzhi, Shanxi, China (1094-1101) Qichun Mint (蕲春监), Qizhou,modern-day Qichun, Hubei, China (1073-1214) Shaoxing Mint (绍兴监), Lizhou,modern-day Guangyuan, Sichuan, China (1005-1128; 1145-?) Shenquan Mint (神泉监), Muzhou,modern-day Jiande, Zhejiang, China (1074-1161; 1196-?) Susong Mint (宿松监), Shuzhou,modern-day Susong, Anhui, China (1073-?; 1170-1175; 1178-1183) Tong`an Mint (同安监), Shuzhou,modern-day Qianshan, Anhui, China (1073-1214) West Yongli Mint (永利西监),Fenzhou, modern-day Fenyang, Shanxi, China (1094-1101) Xining Mint (熙宁监), Hengzhou,modern-day Hengyang, Hunan, China (1068) Yazhou, modern-day Ya`an,Sichuan, China (970-1016; 1080-?; 1210-?) |
| Mintage | Log in to see details |
| Additional information |
Shengzong Yuanbao — more precisely Shengsong, a variant romanization — was issued under Emperor Huizong during the Chongning era, a reign that would end in catastrophe when Jurchen Jin forces sacked Kaifeng in 1127. Iron cash production during this period was driven by chronic copper shortages in the north, where the metal was being consumed by both military demand and the Song's own aggressive currency expansion. Iron coins circulated at enforced parity with copper despite being worth less in raw material, a policy that bred counterfeiting and regional currency flight.
The seal script variety is typically sharper in casting than its running-script counterpart, a quirk attributed to die preparation methods at the Kaifeng central mint.