Catalog
1 Mun Li script
| Issuer | Korea |
|---|---|
| Year | 1097-1105 |
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| Value | Log in to see details |
| Currency | Log in to see details |
| Composition | Bronze |
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| Obverse description | Log in to see details |
|---|---|
| Obverse script | Chinese (traditional, regular script) |
| Obverse lettering | 海東通寶 (Translation: Currency of the Eastern Sea) |
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| Additional information |
Issued under King Sukjong of Goryeo, who made a concerted push to establish coin use in a kingdom that had long resisted a monetized economy. Despite royal edicts requiring merchants and taverns to accept the new bronze cash, circulation remained stubbornly limited — the population continued to prefer grain and cloth as exchange media. Most surviving examples show little wear for exactly that reason.
The "Li script" designation distinguishes this type from contemporaneous issues struck with different calligraphic styles, a deliberate variation that Hartill treats as a separate catalogued type rather than a die curiosity.