The Sangpyeongcheong was established in 1651 specifically to manage the circulation of the Sangpyeongtongbo coinage after earlier attempts to monetize the Korean economy had repeatedly collapsed due to public resistance — Korean commerce had long run on cloth and rice as exchange media. This "Small Type" designation distinguishes it from heavier, broader issues struck concurrently by the same bureau, a distinction that matters because multiple government offices were authorized to strike Sangpyeongtongbo simultaneously, each leaving furnace and administrative marks that allow attribution today.
The 1679–1695 window corresponds to a period of aggressive monetary expansion under King Sukjong.
The Sangpyeongcheong was established in 1651 specifically to manage the circulation of the Sangpyeongtongbo coinage after earlier attempts to monetize the Korean economy had repeatedly collapsed due to public resistance — Korean commerce had long run on cloth and rice as exchange media. This "Small Type" designation distinguishes it from heavier, broader issues struck concurrently by the same bureau, a distinction that matters because multiple government offices were authorized to strike Sangpyeongtongbo simultaneously, each leaving furnace and administrative marks that allow attribution today.
The 1679–1695 window corresponds to a period of aggressive monetary expansion under King Sukjong.