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2 Cash - Chunxi Yuanbao, Regular script, Song, with year, iron
| Issuer | Empire of China |
|---|---|
| Year | 1180-1184 |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | Log in to see details |
| Currency | Log in to see details |
| Composition | Log in to see details |
| Weight | Log in to see details |
| Diameter | Log in to see details |
| Thickness | Log in to see details |
| Shape | Round with a square hole |
| Technique | Log in to see details |
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| Engraver(s) | Log in to see details |
| In circulation to | Log in to see details |
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| Obverse description | Log in to see details |
|---|---|
| Obverse script | Log in to see details |
| Obverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Reverse description | Log in to see details |
| Reverse script | Chinese (traditional, regular script) |
| Reverse lettering | 松 九 (Translation: Song / Jiu Susong (mint) / Year 9) |
| Edge | Log in to see details |
| Mint | Log in to see details |
| Mintage | Log in to see details |
| Additional information |
Chunxi was the reign period of Emperor Xiaozong, and the Southern Song government's reliance on iron cash during this period was a direct consequence of copper scarcity and the permanent loss of northern mining regions to the Jurchen Jin dynasty after 1127. Iron coinage was never a preference — it was a fiscal accommodation, struck in provincial foundries rather than the central mint infrastructure that had previously supplied the empire.
The addition of a reign year on iron cash of this type is the detail worth noting: not all Chunxi iron issues carry year marks, making dated examples marginally more traceable within the 1174–1189 reign span. Hartill 17.266 places this specifically within the 1180–1184 window.