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3 Cash - Kaixi Yuanbao, Chuan, iron
| Issuer | Empire of China |
|---|---|
| Year | 1207 |
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| Composition | Iron |
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|---|---|
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| Reverse description | Central square hole flanked by a plain inner rim and an outer raised border. Four Chinese characters in Regular script are disposed around the central aperture: two characters above and two below the square hole, reading 'Chuan San Qi Er' (川三四二), denoting the mint province (Sichuan/川), the regnal year (Year 3/三), and the series number (42/四二). The reverse field is largely plain with heavy iron patination and encrustation, with the characters visible in raised relief. |
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| Edge | Plain |
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| Additional information |
The Kaixi reign period lasted only three years, from 1205 to 1207 under Emperor Ningzong of the Southern Song dynasty. Iron cash of this period were struck as a regional expedient — copper had been chronically short in Sichuan (Chuan) for decades, and the province maintained a largely independent iron-currency economy throughout the Southern Song. The Chuan mint attribution here is standard for Sichuan iron issues of this type.
Hartill 17.530 is among the scarcer Kaixi iron varieties, reflecting the brevity of the reign and the limited output before the era title changed.