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1 Cash - Shouchang Yuanbao
| Issuer | Liao dynasty |
|---|---|
| Year | 1095-1101 |
| Type | Standard circulation coin |
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| Obverse description | Cast bronze cash coin bearing four Chinese characters in regular script (kaishu), arranged in cruciform reading order around a central square perforation. The legend reads clockwise: 壽 (Shou), 昌 (Chang), 元 (Yuan), 寶 (Bao), forming the reign title inscription 壽昌元寶. The characters are boldly rendered in relief against a flat field, with the coin exhibiting characteristic Liao dynasty casting style. The inner and outer rims are well-defined, framing the inscription in the tradition of Northern Song-influenced cash coinage. |
|---|---|
| Obverse script | Chinese (traditional, regular script) |
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| Additional information |
The Shouchang reign period (1095–1101) fell during the rule of Tianzuodi, the last emperor of the Liao dynasty, who ascended the throne as a child under regent control. The Liao, a Khitan state that had dominated northern China and extracted tribute from the Song for over a century, were already in visible decline by this issue — internal factional instability and mounting pressure from the Jurchen Jin to the northeast would bring the dynasty to collapse within two decades of this coin's minting.
Hartill notes this type is scarcer than its reign length might suggest, likely reflecting disrupted production as Liao administrative infrastructure deteriorated in the later Tianzuodi years.