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2 Mun Pyong
| Issuer | Joseon Dynasty |
|---|---|
| Year | 1678-1742 |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Orientation | Medal alignment ↑↑ |
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| Obverse description | Cast copper cash coin of standard East Asian square-hole type, featuring the four-character reign legend 常平通寶 (Sangpyong Tongbo) arranged in cruciform fashion around the central square perforation, reading top-bottom-right-left. The characters are rendered in a bold, raised clerical script style typical of Joseon Dynasty casting, set within a plain inner rim and a wider raised outer rim. The field between the legend characters and the outer rim is flat and unadorned. The coin shows natural verdigris patination consistent with its copper alloy composition and age. |
|---|---|
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| Reverse script | Chinese |
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| Additional information |
The 2 Mun Pyong was struck at the Pibyonsa — the Border Defense Council — one of several government bureaus authorized to operate their own mints following the Joseon court's 1678 decision to finally establish a stable copper cash currency after centuries of failed monetary experiments. Each issuing office stamped its own mint mark, making attribution a matter of institutional history as much as numismatics. The Pyong designation identifies this piece as Pibyonsa output specifically.
Circulation was geographically uneven for decades; rural markets resisted coin use well into the 18th century, preferring rice and cloth as exchange media.