Item number: A829

Year: AD 958

Material: Bronze

Size: 24.2 x 24.5 x 1.0 mm

Weight: 3.4 g

Provenance:

1.Noonans 2022

2. D. L. F. Sealy Collection

This is a “Tangguo Tongbao” bronze coin minted during the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms period in China. It was cast under the reign of the second ruler of the Southern Tang, Li Jing, during the Jiaotai era (AD 958).

The “Tangguo Tongbao” is a typical square-holed coin. On the obverse side, the characters “唐國通寶” (Tangguo Tongbao) are inscribed in seal script, arranged sequentially from top to bottom, right to left. The reverse side of the coin is blank, with no inscriptions.

The “Tangguo Tongbao” is notable in the history of Chinese coinage as one of the first examples of “paired coins,” meaning coins that feature inscriptions in different calligraphic styles. There are three known versions of this coin, each featuring a different script: seal script, regular script, and clerical script.

The Southern Tang was established in AD 937 by Li Bian, who claimed to be a descendant of the Tang dynasty. Its territory encompassed the prosperous Jianghuai region, with its capital in Jinling (present-day Nanjing). Among the states of the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms period, the Southern Tang was distinguished by its extensive coinage, reflecting its developed economy, society, and culture. However, following the death of Li Bian in AD 943, the Southern Tang faced increasing pressure from the rising Northern power, Later Zhou. The state’s strength gradually declined.

In AD 975, Li Bian’s grandson, Li Yu, who is renowned for his literary achievements as the “Emperor of the Ci,” surrendered to Song Taizu Zhao Kuangyin, who had usurped the Later Zhou throne. This marked the end of the Southern Tang.

物件編號: A829

年代: 公元 958 年

材質: 青銅

尺寸: 24.2 x 24.5 x 1.0 mm

重量: 3.4 g

來源:

1. 諾南斯 2022

2. 大衛.萊斯利.福布斯.西利舊藏

這是一枚鑄造於中國歷史上的五代十國時期，南唐第二位統治者李璟在交泰年間(公元958年)，所鑄造的「唐國通寶」青銅錢。

唐國通寶為典型的方孔錢，正面按照上、下、右、左的順序，依序以篆書字體鐫刻「唐國通寶」四字。錢幣背面則為光背，無鐫刻任何文字。唐國通寶為中國錢幣史上的第一批「對子錢」，即擁有一種書法字體以上的錢幣。唐國通寶的字體有篆書、楷書和隸書三種版本。

南唐由自稱為唐朝後裔的李昪建立於公元937年，其疆域控制最為富饒的江淮地區並定都於金陵(今 南京)。南唐的鑄幣量為五代十國的佼佼者，擁有發達的社會經濟文化。然而自公元943年，李昪駕崩以後，南唐面臨北方的新興之秀後周的侵略，國勢日益衰弱。公元975年，李昪的孫子李煜，即以「千古詞帝」文學成就為後人所知的李後主，向篡奪後周政權的宋太祖趙匡胤投降，就此結束南唐的歷史。