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1 Mun; Small Typ Yong
| Issuer | Joseon (1392-1897) |
|---|---|
| Year | 1742 |
| Type | Standard circulation coin |
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| Currency | Log in to see details |
| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Obverse description | The obverse displays four Chinese characters arranged in a cruciform pattern around a central square hole. Reading top-to-bottom, the characters 常 and 平 (Sangpyeong) identify the Joseon government office responsible for price stabilization, the Sangpyeong Cheong; reading right-to-left, the characters 通 and 寶 (Tongbo) denote the coin as currency. The characters are rendered in regular script (kaishu) within a plain circular border, with no additional decorative elements in the field. |
|---|---|
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| Edge | Plain |
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| Additional information |
The "Small Type Yong" designation distinguishes this issue from the heavier, broader cash coins produced earlier in the Joseon period — the reduction reflecting chronic copper shortages that plagued the kingdom's mints through much of the eighteenth century. By 1742, the Joseon government had been struggling for decades to maintain consistent coinage, with private casting and counterfeiting so widespread that official mint output was frequently undermined before it reached circulation.
The Oseong reference places this piece within a carefully documented typological sequence, useful for attribution given how frequently Joseon cash coins are misidentified across the regional mint varieties.