Catalog
See full images - free registration
Continue with Google - no registration!
or register with email
Why register? Just to keep bots out of our catalog. Your email stays private - we will never share it or send you anything uninvited. We guarantee you that!
1 Cash - Zhihe Yuanbao, Clerical script
| Issuer | Imperial Chinese Mint (Northern Song Dynasty) |
|---|---|
| Year | 1054-1055 |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | 1 Cash |
| Currency | Log in to see details |
| Composition | Log in to see details |
| Weight | Log in to see details |
| Diameter | Log in to see details |
| Thickness | Log in to see details |
| Shape | Log in to see details |
| Technique | Log in to see details |
| Orientation | Log in to see details |
| Engraver(s) | Log in to see details |
| In circulation to | Log in to see details |
| Reference(s) | Log in to see details |
| Obverse description | Central square perforation surrounded by a raised square boss, with four large Chinese characters in clerical script (lishu) arranged in cruciform reading order around the central hole: 至 (top), 和 (right), 元 (bottom), 寶 (left), together forming the reign-era inscription 'Zhihe Yuanbao.' The characters are boldly cast with characteristic clerical script horizontal strokes terminating in distinct upward flicks, set within a plain field bounded by a raised outer rim. No additional decorative elements or mint marks are present on the obverse. |
|---|---|
| Obverse script | Log in to see details |
| Obverse lettering | 至 寶 和 元 (Translation: Zhi He Yuan Bao Zhihe (8th era of Renzong, 1054-1056) / Original currency) |
| Reverse description | Log in to see details |
| Reverse script | Log in to see details |
| Reverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Edge | Log in to see details |
| Mint | Log in to see details |
| Mintage | Log in to see details |
| Additional information |
Zhihe was one of the shortest reign periods of the Northern Song — just two years under Emperor Renzong, who himself reigned for over four decades. Renzong cycled through more than a dozen era names during his reign, each requiring a new cash issue, which is why Song dynasty bronze coinage presents such a dense taxonomy of short-run types. The Hartill 16.133 attribution places this squarely among the clerical script variants, distinguished from the running and seal script issues struck concurrently under the same reign title.