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10 Cash - Chongning Tongbao, privately cast
| Issuer | Empire of China |
|---|---|
| Year | 1103-1105 |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | 10 Cash |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Diameter | Log in to see details |
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| Obverse description | Central square hole framed by a raised square border, around which four Chinese characters are disposed in the four cardinal positions and read clockwise in the elegant Slender Gold (Shouijin) calligraphic style personally attributed to Emperor Huizong. The four-character reign-title legend 崇寧通寶 (Chongning Tongbao) occupies the field between the central square and the outer raised rim. The composition is uniface in character, with the entire decorative programme confined to the obverse field; the casting, typical of privately produced specimens, exhibits somewhat irregular surfaces now covered with an olive-green patina. |
|---|---|
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| Obverse lettering | Log in to see details |
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| Edge | Plain |
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| Additional information |
The Chongning Tongbao series was issued under Emperor Huizong, whose reign is better remembered for artistic patronage and catastrophic military failure than for its coinage administration. Private casting was endemic during the Northern Song precisely because official mint output was chronically insufficient relative to demand — the state operated dozens of mints yet still could not keep pace with a monetized economy of this scale. Privately cast pieces vary considerably in fabric and module, which is what makes attribution to a specific reference like Hartill 16.402 meaningful rather than routine.