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1 Mun Seal script
| Issuer | Goryeo Dynasty |
|---|---|
| Year | 1097-1107 |
| Type | Standard circulation coin |
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| Obverse description | Cast bronze cash coin with a central square perforation surrounded by a raised inner rim. Four Chinese characters in seal script (篆書) are arranged in cruciform fashion around the central hole, reading clockwise: 東 (top), 通 (right), 寶 (bottom-right), 國 (left), forming the legend 東國通寶 (Dongguk Tongbo, meaning 'Eastern Kingdom Circulating Treasure'). The characters are rendered in the archaic seal script style, exhibiting bold, rounded strokes characteristic of Goryeo period coinage. The flat field shows typical casting texture, and the piece displays an overall patina of green verdigris consistent with aged bronze. |
|---|---|
| Obverse script | Chinese (Seal script) |
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| Additional information |
Issued under King Sukjong, who undertook the most ambitious monetary reform in Goryeo's history — attempting to shift Korea away from cloth and grain as the primary exchange media toward a genuine coin-based economy. The effort largely failed; peasants and merchants continued to prefer commodity money, and most of these coins saw little actual commerce.
The seal script style dates this to the earlier portion of the Sukjong minting program, before the administration experimented with alternate calligraphic forms on subsequent issues. Hartill distinguishes several varieties within this run by the precise form of individual characters.