Item number: A1714

Year: AD 845-846

Material: Bronze

Size: 24.4 x 24.2 x 1.3 mm

Weight: 20.9 g

Manufactured by: Hongzhou

Provenance: Da Chen Stamps and Coins Collection 2014

This is a Kaiyuan Tongbao coin, first minted in the fifth year of the Huichang era (AD 845). Its design closely resembles that of the Kaiyuan Tongbao issued in the early Tang dynasty, with a diameter of approximately 2.5 centimetres and a weight of around 4 grams, as indicated by the traditional measurement: “diameter of eight fen, weight of two zhu and four lian.” However, a distinguishing feature of this coin is the addition of the name of the minting prefecture on the reverse, leading to its alternative designation as the Huichang Kaiyuan.

The obverse of the coin bears the inscription Kaiyuan Tongbao in clerical script (lishu), arranged in a top-bottom, right-left reading order. The original calligraphy was composed by Ouyang Xun, a court attendant (geishi zhong), and was characterised by its upright and dignified style. However, as the Tang dynasty declined, both the quality of the calligraphy and the craftsmanship of the minting process deteriorated. Notably, in this particular coin, the lower component of the character Kai (開), resembling Jing (井), appears to have sunk, a phenomenon known as “descending well” (jiangjing), while the first stroke of the character Yuan (元) is elongated. The outer rim is relatively broad, exhibiting signs of misalignment, resulting in uneven width.

On the reverse, the inscription above the central hole reads Hong (洪), referring to Hongzhou, the administrative centre of Jiangnanxi Circuit during the Tang dynasty, corresponding roughly to present-day Nanchang, Jiangxi Province. This region was a hub of water and land transportation, renowned for its abundance of fish and rice, and was celebrated in the Tang period as the “metropolis of the southeast.” The character Hong partially encroaches upon the rim and displays internal misalignment.

In the fifth year of the Huichang era, Emperor Wuzong issued an edict to suppress Buddhism. Beyond the traditional reverence of the Li-Tang imperial family for Daoism, this policy also aimed to consolidate central authority and revitalise the Tang dynasty. As a result, more than 4,600 Buddhist monasteries were demolished, and approximately 260,500 monks and nuns were forcibly returned to secular life. Additionally, over 40,000 smaller temples and hermitages were dismantled, vast tracts of fertile land were confiscated, and 150,000 enslaved individuals were registered as taxpayers under the liangshui (two-tax) system. The bronze statues, bells, and chimes from these abolished temples were all melted down to mint copper coinage, alleviating the severe shortage of currency. Due to the excessive volume of copper material, the central minting bureau was unable to process it all, leading to the unprecedented decision to allow individual prefectures to establish their own mints. Given the variation in minting facilities and the practise of manually imprinting reverse inscriptions onto clay moulds before they fully dried—resulting in mother moulds that were subsequently used for coin production—the quality of the Huichang Kaiyuan coinage was highly inconsistent. This coinage was in circulation for less than a year before Emperor Wuzong died suddenly. His successor, Emperor Xuanzong, deemed the new coins distinguishable by their inscription and therefore reinstated the previous minting standards, ceasing production of the Huichang coinage entirely. Some scholars speculate that due to the relatively large number of extant specimens, minting may have continued unofficially after the formal prohibition.

The coin shortages of the Tang and Song dynasties—sometimes described as episodes of monetary contraction—originated primarily from insufficient copper ore production and the outflow of high-credit regional currencies due to the Tang’s position as a dominant power. Following the implementation of the Two-Tax Law (liangshui fa), which further monetised the fiscal system, the situation worsened. Additionally, the recurrent melting of coinage for metalware and the persistent issue of private hoarding, despite repeated prohibitions, exacerbated the problem. From the Tang to the Song dynasty, chronic coin shortages remained a major economic challenge for the state.

物件編號: A1714

年代: 公元 845-846 年

材質: 青銅

尺寸: 24.4 x 24.2 x 1.3 mm

重量: 4.05 g

製造地: 洪州

來源: 大城郵幣社 2014

這是一枚開元通寶，係會昌五年(公元845年)始鑄，形制一如唐初開元通寶，「徑八分，重二株四絫」，即徑寬約2.5公分，重約4公克，唯錢背加鑄州名，又稱會昌開元。錢幣正面幣文為「開元通寶」，隸書，對讀。原始幣文為給事中歐陽詢所題，端莊沉穩，隨著唐廷的衰落，幣文與鑄工也逐漸轉劣。就該錢幣所示，「開」字中「井」不斷下沉，稱「降井」，「元」字首筆拉長。外輪較闊且有移範現象，即寬度不均。

錢幣背面幣文為穿上一「洪」字，洪州為唐代江南西道治所，大約為今日江西省南昌地區，水陸四通，魚米富饒，唐時有東南都會之譽。「洪」字侵輪不全，內廓移範。

唐武宗會昌五年，下敕滅佛，除李唐皇室向來崇道外，另有以滅佛集權中央，中興唐朝的意圖。結果是「天下所拆寺四千六百餘所，還俗僧尼二十六萬五百人……拆招提、蘭若四萬餘所，收膏腴上田數千萬頃，收奴婢為兩稅戶十五萬人。」廢寺之銅像、鐘磬全數銷熔以鑄銅錢，以緩錢荒。籌集銅料過多，中央之鑄錢監一時難以消化，故允許各州自行置爐鑄錢。因錢爐各異，加以背文多由工人於陶模未乾時手工打印，再翻母範鑄錢，因此極不規範。會昌開元鑄行不及一年，武宗暴崩，宣宗即位，取「新錢以字可辨，復鑄為像。」盡廢會昌錢。有學者猜測，因出土量較大，可能後續仍有鑄造。

唐宋錢荒，或言通貨緊縮，最初源於銅礦產量不足，與做為區域強權高信用貨幣而造成的貨幣外流。在《兩稅法》以降，財政的貨幣化之後，情勢愈惡。加以歷代銷錢為器、私人窖藏屢禁不止。由唐至宋，錢荒皆為國家大患。