Item number: A2341

Year: AD 1633-1882

Material: Brass

Size: 22.3 x 22.4 x 1.2 mm

Weight: 3.8 g

Provenance: Spink 2023

This is a Sangpyeong Tongbo coin issued and minted by the Joseon Dynasty between AD 1633 and AD 1882. Based on the quality of the casting, it is highly likely that this specimen was privately minted by non-governmental sources.

The coin features a square-holed design, a form heavily influenced by neighbouring China. Although the surface is heavily worn, the obverse side still faintly reveals the four Chinese characters Sangpyeong Tongbo (常平通寶), inscribed in the traditional 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 upper edge of the coin’s reverse side bears a heavily worn Chinese character, rendering the identity of the issuing authority indiscernible. At the bottom, the character (日), meaning “sun” and derived from the Thousand Character Classic (Cheonjamun), is still faintly visible. On both the left and right sides, there appear to be geometric lines resembling crescent or moon motifs, likely serving as decorative elements.

Sangpyeong Tongbo was a form of currency circulated during the Joseon Dynasty, with its minting period spanning from AD 1633 to AD 1894. Over the course of its production, more than 3,000 distinct varieties of this coin type were issued. 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.

物件編號: A2341

年代: 公元 1633-1882 年

材質: 黃銅

尺寸: 22.3 x 22.4 x 1.2 mm

重量: 3.8 g

來源: 斯賓克拍賣行 2023

這是一枚李氏朝鮮於公元1633至1882年間發行鑄造的「常平通寶」，從錢幣的品質來判斷，極有可能是民間私自鑄造的錢幣。

錢幣形制為深受鄰國中國影響的方孔錢造型。錢幣表面的磨蝕狀況極為嚴重，但是仍能依稀判斷正面按照上、下、右、左的順序，以漢字鐫刻「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」。

錢幣背面的上緣有一個模糊不清的漢字，其指涉的鑄造單位無法判讀。錢幣下緣則有一個出自朝鮮過往學習漢字使用的《千字文》的漢字「日」。而在左右兩側依稀有類似月紋的幾何線條作為裝飾。

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，其版型至少有三千多種。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。