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100 Cash - Tiande Tongbao, iron
| Issuer | Min Kingdom |
|---|---|
| Year | 944 |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Orientation | Medal alignment ↑↑ |
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| Obverse description | Round cast iron coin featuring a central square hole (穿) surrounded by a raised inner rim. The four-character reign title legend 天德通寶 (Tiande Tongbao) is arranged in regular script (kaishu) reading top-to-bottom, right-to-left around the central aperture, with one character positioned at each cardinal point. The characters are boldly rendered in relief against a flat field, enclosed between the inner square rim and a plain outer rim. The overall fabric displays a heavy patina consistent with iron casting of the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms period. |
|---|---|
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| Mintage | ND (944) |
| Additional information |
The Min Kingdom, one of the Ten Kingdoms of the Five Dynasties period, issued this piece under Wang Shenzhi's successors during a reign so unstable that Fuzhou changed hands repeatedly before Min's final collapse in 944 — the very year this coin was produced. Iron coinage was not a choice born of preference; copper shortages and the economic isolation of Fujian province forced Min rulers to cast in iron throughout much of the kingdom's existence. Hartill 15.58 is among the final issues before the Southern Tang absorbed Min entirely.