The Southern Tang issued these large-denomination cast bronzes in the final years of the kingdom, a period of acute fiscal pressure as the state hemorrhaged territory to the expanding Song. The Yongtong Quanhuo ("Perpetual Currency of Overflowing Goods") was an explicitly inflationary move — a 10-cash piece tariffed far above its metal value to fund military expenditure against Zhou and later Song incursions. The kingdom fell to Song forces in 975, making the entire production window for this type less than two decades.
The Southern Tang issued these large-denomination cast bronzes in the final years of the kingdom, a period of acute fiscal pressure as the state hemorrhaged territory to the expanding Song. The Yongtong Quanhuo ("Perpetual Currency of Overflowing Goods") was an explicitly inflationary move — a 10-cash piece tariffed far above its metal value to fund military expenditure against Zhou and later Song incursions. The kingdom fell to Song forces in 975, making the entire production window for this type less than two decades.