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Yuan Dynasty
Zhiyuan Tongbao
One Cash
元
至元通寶
小平錢
Item number: A2624
Year: AD 1285-1294
Material: Bronze
Size: 21.0 x 21.0 mm
Provenance:
1. Spink 2023
2. Dr. Werner Burger Collection
This is a bronze coin issued in the 22nd year of the Zhiyuan reign (AD 1285), during the rule of Kublai Khan, the founding emperor of the Yuan dynasty, which had by then conquered the Southern Song and formally established the dynastic title “Great Yuan.” The coin, inscribed “Zhiyuan Tongbao” (至元通寶), was cast in accordance with the long-standing tradition of previous Chinese dynasties of issuing currency bearing the reigning emperor’s era name.
The coin follows the typical square-holed cash coin format. Based on size, the series was produced in three denominations: one-cash, two-cash, and three-cash. The specimen held in this collection measures 21 mm in diameter, corresponding to the one-cash denomination.
On the obverse, the four Chinese characters “Zhiyuan Tongbao” (至元通寶) are engraved in regular script with stylistic elements reminiscent of clerical script, arranged sequentially in the order of top, bottom, right, and left. The reverse is plain, without any inscription or design.
In addition to the Chinese-character version, the Zhiyuan Tongbao series was also produced in a Mongolian-script version. Like its counterpart, the Mongolian edition was issued in multiple denominations based on size, including one-cash, two-cash, and three-cash.
Kublai Khan, the founder of the Yuan dynasty, was a grandson of Genghis Khan and the fourth son of Tolui. In AD 1251, Kublai was appointed to administer the former Jin dynasty territories in northern China on behalf of the Mongol Empire. There, he established the Jinlianchuan Secretariat (金蓮川幕府) and began adopting Chinese administrative practises. He also participated in several military campaigns against the Southern Song.
In AD 1260, following the death of his elder brother Möngke Khan during the siege of Diaoyu Fortress in Sichuan, the position of Great Khan of the Mongol Empire became vacant. Kublai, then commanding the southern front, returned to Shangdu (Upper Capital) and declared himself Great Khan. However, his younger brother Ariq Böke, with the backing of several Mongol aristocrats, claimed the title in the old capital Karakorum. A protracted civil war ensued, ending in Kublai’s victory, though it ultimately led to the fragmentation of the Mongol Empire.
Subsequently, in AD 1264, Kublai shifted the empire’s political centre to China proper, adopting the dynastic title “Great Yuan” in imitation of earlier Chinese imperial traditions. By AD 1279, he had completed the conquest of the Southern Song, bringing an end to the long-standing division of the Central Plains.