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2 Cash - Zhenghe Tongbao, Seal script
| Issuer | Empire of China |
|---|---|
| Year | 1111-1118 |
| 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 | 7.02 g |
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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 | Plain, uniface reverse featuring only the central square perforation surrounded by a smooth, unadorned field with a raised outer rim. No inscriptions, symbols, or decorative elements are present. The surface displays an even patina of malachite-green oxidation consistent with aged bronze, typical of Northern Song dynasty cast cash coinage. |
| Reverse script | Log in to see details |
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| Edge | Log in to see details |
| Mint | Fumin Mint (阜民监), Huizhou, Guangdong, China (1067) Guanghui Mint, Nanping Army (广惠监), modern-day Jiangjin, Chongqing, China (1075-1149) Guangji Mint (广济监), Wanzhou, modern-day Wanzhou District, Chongqing, China (circa 1068-?; 1083-1124) Qichun Mint (蕲春监), Qizhou, modern-day Qichun, Hubei, China (1073-1214) Shanzhou Inspectorate Mint (陕州监), Shaanzhou, modern-day Shaan County, Henan, China Shenquan Mint (神泉监), Muzhou, modern-day Jiande, Zhejiang, China (1074-1161; 1196-?) Susong Mint (宿松监), Shuzhou, modern-day Susong, Anhui, China (1073-?; 1170-1175; 1178-1183) Tong'an Mint (同安监), Shuzhou, modern-day Qianshan, Anhui, China (1073-1214) Yuanfeng Mint (元丰监), Wuzhou, Guangxi, China (1074-1136) |
| Mintage | Log in to see details |
| Additional information |
Zhenghe Tongbao coinage was produced under Emperor Huizong of the Northern Song dynasty, a ruler better remembered as one of China's most accomplished painter-calligraphers than as an effective monarch. The seal script variety reflects Huizong's personal obsession with calligraphic styles — his court issued cash coins in multiple scripts simultaneously, an unusual practice driven by aesthetic preference rather than administrative necessity.
Huizong's reign ended in catastrophe. The Jurchen Jin dynasty captured him in 1127 during the Jingkang Incident, and he died in captivity in the north. Coins struck during his prosperous middle years circulated into a dynasty that ceased to exist within a decade of their minting.