Catalog
1 Mun; Large Type Yong
| Issuer | Joseon (1392-1897) |
|---|---|
| Year | 1742 |
| Type | Standard circulation coin |
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| Obverse description | Cast brass cash-type coin featuring four Chinese characters in regular script (kaishu) arranged symmetrically around a central square hole. Reading top to bottom: 常 (Sang) and 平 (Pyong); reading right to left: 通 (Tong) and 寶 (Bo), together forming the legend 常平通寶 (Sangpyong Tongbo), meaning 'Ever-Normal Circulating Treasure.' The characters are rendered in bold raised relief against a recessed field, with a plain raised rim encircling the design. |
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| Reverse description | Cast reverse displaying two Chinese characters in regular script arranged around the central square hole. The character 营 (Yong), denoting the Special Army Unit (Hullyondogam) responsible for minting, appears above the hole, while the series numeral 九 (9) appears below, identifying this piece as the ninth issue of the Yong series. The field is recessed with a plain raised rim, consistent with the unadorned style typical of Joseon-period cash coinage. |
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| Additional information |
Cast in 1742 under King Yeongjo, this issue belongs to a period of intense monetary experimentation in Joseon. The court had been forcing copper cash into circulation since the 1670s against persistent merchant and peasant resistance — a population accustomed to rice and cloth as exchange media. By the 1740s, the coinage was finally embedded in everyday commerce, but counterfeiting and weight manipulation had become serious enough that authorities periodically revised casting standards, producing the size and weight distinctions that generate the "Large Type" and related variety classifications collectors use today.