Item number: A2303

Year: AD 1866-1867

Material: Brass

Size: 40.0 x 40.4 x 2.1 mm

Weight: 21.3 g

Provenance: Spink 2023

This is a Sangpyeong Tongbo coin with a denomination of 100 mun, minted during the 3rd year of King Gojong’s reign in the Joseon Dynasty. According to historical records, its minting began on the 12th day of the 12th lunar month in AD 1866 and officially ceased on the 16th day of the 6th lunar month the following year. It is one of the few issues with a clearly documented period of circulation.

Sangpyeong Tongbo was a form of currency circulated during the Joseon Dynasty, with its minting period spanning from AD 1633 to AD 1894. Even after Korea was annexed by Japan in the early 20th century, Sangpyeong Tongbo continued to be used by commoners in everyday transactions, particularly in more remote regions during the initial years of Japanese colonial rule.

The coin adopts the square-holed design characteristic of Chinese influence. On the obverse side, the four Chinese characters Sangpyeong Tongbo (常平通寶) are inscribed in regular script, arranged in the order of top, bottom, right, and left. The term Sangpyeong does not correspond to any regnal era of a Joseon monarch; rather, it derives from the Sangpyeongcheong, a government office responsible for providing relief to the poor.

The reverse side of the coin shows significant wear, yet the inscriptions remain legible. Arranged in the order of top, bottom, right, and left, the characters read Ho Dae Dang Baek (戶大當百), indicating that the coin was minted under the authority of the Ministry of Taxation (Ho-bu) and carried a face value of 100 mun.

Facing a fiscal crisis brought on by his father Heungseon Daewongun’s costly reconstruction of Gyeongbokgung Palace, King Gojong authorised the minting of a high-denomination Sangpyeong Tongbo coin valued at 100 mun in AD 1866 as a means of alleviating financial strain. However, the issuance of this large-denomination currency led to widespread illegal private minting, and its practicality was limited, as such high-value coins were seldom used in the daily transactions of commoners. This contributed to significant economic disruption. As a result, production of the 100-mun Sangpyeong Tongbo ceased after approximately 1.78 million coins were minted. The broader Sangpyeong Tongbo series was ultimately discontinued in AD 1894 amid sweeping Westernisation reforms in Joseon Korea.

物件編號: A2303

年代: 公元 1866-1867 年

材質: 黃銅

尺寸: 40.0 x 40.4 x 2.1 mm

重量: 21.3 g

來源: 斯賓克拍賣行 2023

這是一枚李氏朝鮮在高宗3年 (公元1866年) 12月12日開鑄，直到隔年6月16日宣告停鑄，有明確史料記載發行時間的面額一百文「常平通寶」。

常平通寶是一種流通於李氏朝鮮的貨幣，其鑄造時間橫跨公元1633至1894年，即便隨著朝鮮在公元20世紀初遭到日本併吞，但是在日本統治的初期，在一些較為偏遠的地區，常平通寶仍持續作為庶民在日常生活中使用的貨幣。

錢幣形制為深受鄰國中國影響的方孔錢造型。錢幣正面按照上、下、右、左的順序，依序以漢字楷書鐫刻「常平通寶」四字。「常平」並非任一位朝鮮君主的年號，而是取自專門救濟貧民的部門「常平廳」。

錢幣背面的磨蝕則較為嚴重，但是仍能辨識字跡，即同樣按照上、下、右、左順序以漢字鐫刻的「戶大當百」，表示這枚錢幣由戶部負責鑄造且面額為一百文。

朝鮮高宗面對生父大院君重修景福宮的鉅額開銷，使得國內的財政出現危機。公元1633年，高宗為此同意鑄造面額一百文的常平通寶以度過危機。然而大面額的常平通寶發行後，各地發生嚴重的私鑄行為，加上庶民的日常開銷甚少使用大面額的錢幣，使得國內的經濟陷入嚴重的混亂。最終面額一百文的常平通寶在鑄造178萬餘枚後停產。常平通寶則是隨著朝鮮的西化改革於公元1894年停產。