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1 Cash - Xuanhe Tongbao, Seal script, iron
| Issuer | Northern Song Dynasty Imperial Mint |
|---|---|
| Year | 1119-1125 |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Shape | Round with a square hole |
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| Obverse description | Central square perforation surrounded by a plain raised inner rim, with four Chinese seal script (zhuanshu) characters arranged symmetrically in the four cardinal positions around the central hole, reading top-to-bottom and right-to-left: 宣 (top), 和 (right), 通 (left), 寶 (bottom), composing the legend 'Xuanhe Tongbao'. The characters are rendered in the elegant, fluid seal script style characteristic of Emperor Huizong's reign, with raised strokes against a flat field. An outer raised rim encircles the entire design, and the surfaces display the dark iron patina and pitting typical of cast Song-dynasty iron cash. |
|---|---|
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| Mint | Baoxin Mint (宝新监), Rongzhou, modern-day Rongshui, Guangxi, China (circa 1116) Fengyuan Mint (丰远监), Jiazhou (Jiading-du), modern-day Leshan, Sichuan, China (?-1059; 1069-1129; 1153-?) Huimin Mint (惠民监), Qiongzhou, modern-day Qionglai, Sichuan, China Jizhong Mint (济众监), Xingzhou, modern-day Lüeyang, Shaanxi, China (1006-1128) Shanzhou Inspectorate Mint (陕州监), Shaanzhou, modern-day Shaan County, Henan, China Shaoxing Mint (绍兴监), Lizhou, modern-day Guangyuan, Sichuan, China (1005-1128; 1145-?) Tongbao Mint (通宝监), Yongzhou, modern-day Nanning, Guangxi, China (circa 1116) Xining Mint (熙宁监), Hengzhou, modern-day Hengyang, Hunan, China (1068) Yazhou, modern-day Ya'an, Sichuan, China (970-1016; 1080-?; 1210-?) |
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| Additional information |
Xuanhe was the final reign period of Emperor Huizong before the catastrophic Jingkang Incident of 1127, when Jurchen Jin forces sacked Kaifeng and took the emperor himself captive. Iron cash proliferated during the Northern Song precisely because copper was chronically scarce — diverted to bronze production and hoarded — forcing provincial mints to strike enormous quantities of iron coinage that nobody particularly wanted but everyone was compelled to use. Exchange rates between iron and copper cash were officially fixed but widely ignored in practice.
The seal script rendering on this type reflects Huizong's personal obsession with calligraphy; he developed his own script style, slender gold, and actively intervened in the aesthetic decisions of imperial coin production.