2 Cash - Jiading Tongbao, Chun, read clockwise, iron

Jiading was the final reign period of Emperor Ningzong of Song, and by the time these iron cash were struck, copper coinage had become so severely depleted by hoarding, export, and the costs of sustained war against the Jin dynasty that iron became the default circulating metal across much of southern China. Iron cash were notoriously prone to corrosion and were actively disliked by the population, yet the Southern Song government had little practical alternative.

The clockwise reading sequence on this piece distinguishes it from the more common counterclockwise issues of the same reign.