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10 Cash Yongtong Quanhuo, with cloud
| Issuer | Southern Tang Kingdom |
|---|---|
| Year | 959-964 |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Technique | Cast |
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| Obverse description | Central square hole surrounded by a raised square rim, with four large Chinese characters in regular script (kaishu) arranged in cruciform fashion around the central perforation, read top-to-bottom and right-to-left: 永 (Yong, top), 通 (Tong, right), 貨 (Huo, bottom), 泉 (Quan, left), together forming the legend 永通泉貨 (Yongtong Quanhuo, meaning 'Eternally Circulating Coin'). The boldly cast characters are deeply relieved against a flat field, enclosed within an outer raised rim. The overall style is characteristic of Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms period cast coinage. |
|---|---|
| Obverse script | Chinese (traditional, regular script) |
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| Additional information |
The Southern Tang, ruling from Jinling (modern Nanjing), issued large-denomination cash coins during the reign of Li Yu — the last ruler of the dynasty, better remembered as a poet than an administrator. The Yongtong Quanhuo series was struck as the kingdom faced existential military pressure from the nascent Song dynasty to the north, and the 10-cash denomination reflects a state increasingly reliant on overvalued coinage to fund its defense. Li Yu surrendered to Song forces in 975.
The cloud variety referenced here is a die distinction noted by collectors but sits outside Hartill's primary listing — the "cf." attribution signals a recognized variant without a dedicated catalog number.