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1 Cash - Tiansheng Yuanbao, Seal script
| Issuer | Song Dynasty Imperial Mint |
|---|---|
| Year | 1023-1031 |
| 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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| Shape | Round with a square hole |
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| Obverse description | Central square perforation bordered by a raised inner rim, surrounded by four Chinese seal-script (zhuanshu) ideograms arranged in cruciform fashion and read clockwise from the top: 天 (Tian), 聖 (Sheng), 元 (Yuan), 寶 (Bao), together forming the reign-era legend 'Tiansheng Yuanbao.' The characters are rendered in the archaic seal script style characteristic of Northern Song cash coinage, with boldly cast strokes of even relief. A plain outer rim frames the field, which is otherwise unadorned. The coin displays an overall patina of dark olive-brown bronze with traces of green and white mineral encrustation consistent with prolonged burial. |
|---|---|
| Obverse script | Log in to see details |
| Obverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Reverse description | Plain, featureless field surrounding a central square perforation enclosed by a raised inner rim and outer border rim. No inscription, mint mark, or decorative device is present, conforming to the uniface standard of Northern Song small-cash production. The surface displays a dense, uneven patina of dark brown and black oxidation with scattered patches of green cuprite and white calcareous deposits. |
| Reverse script | Log in to see details |
| Reverse lettering | Log in to see details |
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| Additional information |
Tiansheng was the reign title of Emperor Renzong, who took the throne at age twelve in 1022 following the death of Zhenzong. The early years of his reign were effectively governed by Empress Dowager Liu as regent — one of the most powerful women in Song history — making these cash issues products of an administration run in all but name by someone other than the named emperor. Renzong himself would go on to reign for over four decades, the longest of any Song emperor, generating an extraordinary volume of coinage across multiple reign titles.
The seal script variant was struck alongside a regular script issue, a pairing conventional to Northern Song minting practice from this period onward.