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10 Cash Kaiyuan Tongbao, Min and crescent, iron
| Issuer | Min Kingdom |
|---|---|
| Year | 922-925 |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | 10 Cash |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
| Weight | Log in to see details |
| Diameter | Log in to see details |
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| Obverse description | Central square hole surrounded by a plain raised inner rim, with four Chinese characters rendered in clerical script (lishu) disposed in the four cardinal positions around the perforation, reading top-bottom, right-left as 開元通寶 (Kaiyuan Tongbao). The characters are boldly cast in raised relief within a broad, flat field, enclosed by a slightly irregular outer rim characteristic of cast iron coinage. The overall design follows the canonical Kaiyuan Tongbao type established in the Tang dynasty. |
|---|---|
| Obverse script | Log in to see details |
| Obverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Reverse description | Log in to see details |
| Reverse script | Log in to see details |
| Reverse lettering | 閩 (Translation: Min Min Kingdom) |
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| Additional information |
The Min Kingdom controlled Fujian from 909 until its collapse in 945, and its coin output reflects the chronic copper shortage that plagued southern China's fragmented successor states following the Tang collapse. Iron coinage was a practical response to that shortage, not a stylistic choice. The crescent mark on this type functioned as a mint or foundry identifier, a convention carried forward from late Tang administrative practice.
Hartill 15.50 is among the heavier iron cash of the Five Dynasties period — a mass suggesting these were struck to compete in purchasing power with copper issues rather than simply fill a gap.