3 Cash - Jiading Yongbao, Ding, with crescent and dots, iron

Jiading Yongbao cash were issued during the reign of Emperor Ningzong of the Southern Song dynasty, a period defined by sustained military pressure from the Jurchen Jin dynasty to the north. Iron coinage was not a casual choice — bronze was strategically hoarded and exported, leaving the southern economy chronically short of usable metal. Iron filled the gap, though it corroded aggressively in circulation, which explains why survivors in any coherent condition are genuinely scarce.

The Ding mint designation, combined with the crescent and dot control marks, identifies a specific production batch within a tightly administered casting system. Hartill 17.653 is among the more seldom-encountered varieties from this reign.