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Northern Song Dynasty
Xuanhe Tongbao
(Clerical Script Version)
北宋
宣和通寶
(隸書版)
Item number: A863
Year: AD 1119-1125
Material: Bronze
Size: 23.3 x 23.6 x 1.0 mm
Weight: 3.2 g
Provenance:
1. Noonans 2022
2. D.L.F. Sealy Collection
This is the “Xuanhe Tongbao” coin minted during the reign of Emperor Huizong of the Northern Song Dynasty, using his sixth era name. Emperor Huizong ruled for 25 years and employed a total of six era names during his reign.
The coin follows the typical square-holed design. The obverse side bears the inscription “Xuanhe Tongbao,” arranged in a clerical script and read in the order of top, bottom, right, and left. The reverse side is blank, without any inscriptions or designs, and shows significant wear and erosion.
The “Xuanhe Tongbao” coins are categorised into three denominations based on weight and size: One-Cash, Two-Cash, and Three-Cash. In terms of calligraphy, they are divided into three styles: clerical script, seal script, and regular script. Additionally, there is a rare type featuring a “Shan” character on the reverse, with the script written in the unique slender-gold style.
Emperor Huizong of Song, whose personal name was Zhao Ji. He had a profound interest in tea culture and calligraphy, and authored a book titled “Treatise on Tea in the Daguan Era,” which describes the tea art of the Song Dynasty, including tea appreciation and tea competitions. This book is the only tea monograph written by a reigning emperor in history.
Despite Emperor Huizong’s exceptional artistic accomplishments, his reign was marked by flawed diplomatic policies. These missteps ultimately facilitated the rise of the emerging Jin Dynasty. Following the Jin’s conquest of the Liao Dynasty, they breached the northern Song capital in AD 1127, capturing Emperor Huizong, then acting as a retired emperor, along with his recently enthroned successor, Emperor Qinzong, and other members of the imperial family. This event, known as the Jingkang Incident, compelled the Song court to flee southward, marking a dark chapter in Chinese history.
During the Song Dynasty, in addition to bronze coins, one notable feature was the widespread circulation of iron coins, a phenomenon rarely seen in other dynasties. This practise arose primarily for two reasons: first, the domestic shortage of copper resources; and second, the need to prevent copper coins from flowing into the hands of northern rival states, such as the Western Xia, Liao, and Jin. As a result, the Song court initially began minting iron coins, and later introduced early forms of paper money, such as Jiaozi and Huizi, as alternative currency.