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2 Cash - Yuanyou Tongbao, Running script
| Issuer | Empire of China |
|---|---|
| Year | 1093-1094 |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
| Weight | 7.53 g |
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| Obverse description | Central square perforation surrounded by a raised inner rim, with four Chinese characters arranged in cruciform reading order around the hole, rendered in the fluid and cursive running script (xingshu) style. The four-character reign title legend 元祐通寶 (Yuanyou Tongbao) is cast in bold relief, with 元 (yuan) at top, 寶 (bao) at bottom, 通 (tong) at right, and 祐 (you) at left. The characters display the characteristic flowing, connected strokes of the xingshu calligraphic tradition, distinguished from the regular script issues of the same series. A raised outer rim frames the design, and the flat field between the inner and outer rims is plain and unadorned. |
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| Edge | Plain |
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| Additional information |
The Yuanyou reign period (1086–1094) was defined by the political reversal engineered by Empress Dowager Gao, who ruled as regent for the young Emperor Zhezong and systematically dismantled the New Policies of Wang Anshi. The running-script (xingshu) calligraphic style on this issue is attributed to the hand of Su Shi — the poet, statesman, and calligrapher — one of several prominent literati commissioned to write cash coin inscriptions during the Northern Song. Whether the attribution holds for every die in the series is debated, but it is well-documented for the type.
Production of this variety was cut short when Zhezong assumed personal rule in 1093–94 and began restoring the reformist faction, ending the Yuanyou coinage program entirely by 1094.