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1 Cash - Songyuan Tongbao
| Issuer | Empire of China |
|---|---|
| Year | 960-976 |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | Log in to see details |
| Currency | Log in to see details |
| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Diameter | Log in to see details |
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| Orientation | Medal alignment ↑↑ |
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| Obverse description | Central square perforation surrounded by a raised inner rim, with four Chinese characters rendered in Clerical script (lishu) disposed in the four cardinal positions around the central hole, reading top-to-bottom and right-to-left: 宋 (top), 元 (right), 通 (bottom), 寶 (left), forming the legend Song Yuan Tong Bao. The characters are separated by the arms of the square hole and are enclosed between a raised inner square rim and a raised outer circular rim. The flat field exhibits the characteristic earthen patina and green cuprite encrustation consistent with age, and the coin retains the typical cast surface texture of Northern Song dynasty cash coinage. |
|---|---|
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| Obverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Reverse description | Log in to see details |
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| Edge | Plain |
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| Additional information |
The Songyuan Tongbao was the inaugural coinage of the Song dynasty, authorized by Taizu — the former military commander Zhao Kuangyin — following his seizure of power from the Later Zhou in 960. It was among the first acts of the new regime to assert administrative normalcy after the catastrophic fragmentation of the Five Dynasties period, during which no fewer than five dynasties and ten regional kingdoms had issued competing currencies within living memory. Hartill 16.1 is the earliest catalogued Song type, placing this issue at the very opening of a dynasty that would ultimately endure three centuries.