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2 Cash - Shaosheng Yuanbao, Running script, iron
| Issuer | Empire of China |
|---|---|
| Year | 1094-1097 |
| Type | Log in to see details |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Orientation | Medal alignment ↑↑ |
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| Obverse description | Central square hole (穿) surrounded by a plain inner rim, with four Chinese characters arranged in clockwise reading order in the fields: 紹 (top), 聖 (right), 元 (bottom), 寶 (left), together reading Shaosheng Yuanbao. The characters are rendered in cursive running script (行書), exhibiting fluid, dynamic brushstroke-inspired strokes characteristic of the Northern Song court calligraphic tradition. A raised outer rim borders the coin, and the entire design is cast in iron, now displaying a heavily oxidised surface patina. |
|---|---|
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| Mintage | ND (1094-1097) |
| Additional information |
Shaosheng was the reign title adopted by Emperor Zhezong of the Northern Song in 1094, the same year he reversed the reformist policies of his recently deceased grandmother Empress Dowager Gao and reinstated the New Policies of Wang Anshi. The monetary chaos of that period drove extensive iron coinage production — bronze was perpetually short, hoarded, or exported, and iron filled the gap in regions where copper supplies were inadequate.
The running-script variety is catalogued distinctly from the seal-script issues of the same reign, reflecting Song practice of commissioning multiple calligraphic styles simultaneously across different mint facilities.