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5 Mun Ch'ang Small Type
| Issuer | Joseon (1392-1897) |
|---|---|
| Year | 1887 |
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| Shape | Round with a square hole |
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| Obverse description | Cast bronze cash coin featuring four Chinese characters arranged in cruciform reading order around a central square hole. Reading top-to-bottom and right-to-left, the legend reads 常平通寶 (Sangpyeong Tongbo), identifying the issuing authority as the Sangpyeong Ch'ong (Board of Revenue) of the Joseon Dynasty. The characters are rendered in regular script (kaishu) within a plain, unornamented field, with no additional decorative elements. The square hole is centrally placed and neatly cast, as typical of East Asian cash coinage of the period. |
|---|---|
| Obverse script | Chinese (traditional, regular script) |
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| Additional information |
The "Small Type" designation distinguishes this issue from the larger 5 mun pieces introduced as Joseon made fitful attempts to stabilize a coinage system under mounting fiscal pressure from Japanese commercial penetration and internal reform demands. By 1887, the Joseon mint at Chŏnhwan'guk — established only two years earlier with Japanese technical assistance — was still calibrating production, which accounts for the dimensional variation collectors now use to differentiate die families within the series.