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2 Mun Kum; Infinite Time
| Issuer | Joseon (1392-1897) |
|---|---|
| Year | 1753 |
| Type | Standard circulation coin |
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| Obverse description | Cast round coin with a square central perforation. The obverse bears four Chinese characters arranged around the central square hole in the traditional Sang pyong tong bo format: 常 (Sang) at top, 平 (Pyong) at bottom, 通 (Tong) at right, and 寶 (Bo) at left. The inscription 常平通寶, reading top-bottom then right-left, identifies the issuing authority as the Sangpyeong Office (Department of Ever-Normal Treasury) of the Joseon Dynasty. The characters are rendered in regular script (kaishu) with clean, even strokes typical of mid-eighteenth-century Joseon cash coinage. The field is plain with no additional decorative elements. |
|---|---|
| Obverse script | Chinese (traditional, regular script) |
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| Additional information |
The "Infinite Time" (無窮) designation on this 2 Mun issue refers not to mystical ambition but to a specific furnace authorization system used by the Joseon court to manage the chronic copper shortages of the mid-18th century. Minting rights were parceled out to Buddhist temples, military offices, and government bureaus under rotating permits — the inscription identified the issuing authority's casting series rather than a denomination variant.
By 1753, Joseon's monetary policy was still recovering from the chaotic over-issuance that followed the 1678 introduction of the Sangpyeong Tongbo coinage system. Provincial casting quality varied wildly across authorized furnaces.