2 Cash - Qiandao Yuanbao, Regular script, Song, with crescent, iron

Qiandao was the reign title of Emperor Xiaozong, who came to the throne in 1162 after the forced abdication of Gaozong — the emperor who had presided over the catastrophic loss of northern China to the Jurchen Jin dynasty. The Southern Song government, perpetually cash-strapped from maintaining a defensive military posture along the Huai River frontier, turned increasingly to iron coinage during this period to conserve bronze for other uses. Iron issues circulated primarily in specific regions and were not freely interchangeable with bronze.

The crescent mark is a foundry or batch identifier. Its precise attribution to a specific mint or casting supervisor remains unresolved in the literature.