Item number: A2743

Year: AD 1126-1127

The results after XRF testing

Material: Iron

Size: 22.3 x 22.3 x 2.2 mm

Weight: 4.2 g

Provenance: Da Chen Stamps and Coins Collection 2020

This is an iron coin cast and circulated during the Jingkang era of Emperor Qinzong of the Northern Song dynasty (AD 1126–1127). Its denomination is one wen, commonly referred to as a small-denomination coin.

The coin follows the traditional form of the Han cultural sphere, consisting of a round shape with a square central hole. The obverse bears the inscription “Jingkang Tongbao” in seal script, read vertically from top to bottom and right to left. The characters are relatively large, with strokes that exhibit a blend of rounded and angular forms at the turning points. The characters “Tong” and “Bao” appear noticeably elongated.

Both the outer rim and inner border are intact on the obverse. Residual copper from the casting process remains, and the reverse features a faint rim with a plain surface devoid of inscriptions. Coins with these characteristics have not been previously recorded in numismatic catalogues.

From the time Emperor Qinzong ascended the throne and adopted the reign title Jingkang to the fall of the capital Bianjing, less than one year had passed. The period was marked by continuous warfare and the disintegration of the Song court. As a result, Jingkang coins are rarely seen today and are mostly recorded in catalogues rather than preserved as physical specimens. The Joseon dynasty’s Annals of the Office of the Inspector-General, compiled centuries later, even recorded legends of a minister of the Song dynasty buried near the Five Kingdoms City in the Hoeryong area, said to have been interred with Jingkang Tongbao coins.

Throughout the Northern Song dynasty, small-denomination iron coins primarily circulated in the Sichuan region. The use of iron coinage in Sichuan stemmed from the acute shortage of copper resources and poor transportation infrastructure, which led to a chronic shortage of currency. Since the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms period, Sichuan had maintained a tradition of casting coins in iron. This practise continued into the early Song dynasty and was significantly expanded in the mid- to late Northern Song period due to prolonged warfare and mounting fiscal pressure. Because iron was abundant and inexpensive to smelt, iron coins became the region’s principal form of currency.

To broaden the use of iron coinage, the government issued coins in various denominations, including large-denomination pieces such as “equivalent to five” and “equivalent to ten”, intending to facilitate high-value transactions with fewer coins and reduce the inconvenience of transport. However, due to the coarse quality of the material, excessive weight, and susceptibility to rust, iron coins faced circulation difficulties. Their actual purchasing power often failed to correspond with their nominal value, leading to market confusion and price volatility. Furthermore, the lack of parity between iron and copper coins caused exchange rate instability and monetary disequilibrium, diminishing public confidence. At times, the Sichuan region even witnessed unauthorised private casting of iron coins, further disrupting the local economy.

Although the government later attempted to replace iron coins by issuing paper money, such as the jiaozi, iron coins continued to play a significant role in the regional economy.

Emperor Qinzong, personal name Zhao Huan, was the ninth emperor of the Northern Song dynasty. In AD 1126, during the eighth year of the Xuanhe reign, as the Jin army invaded from the north, he succeeded his father Emperor Huizong and adopted the reign title Jingkang. However, upon ascending the throne, he proved unable to stabilise the government. He was indecisive in internal affairs and lacked strategic foresight in diplomacy. Within the span of one year, he frequently changed military commanders, sidelined war advocates such as Li Gang, and placed power in the hands of incompetent generals and eunuchs. During the Jin siege of Kaifeng, he resorted to religious superstition, commissioning Taoist priests to perform rituals and draw talismans on the city walls in hopes of invoking divine intervention. Some even claimed that thunder could be summoned through incantations, and Qinzong believed them.

He further misjudged the Jin army’s temporary withdrawal, and during the second siege, failed to prepare defences, welcoming Jin envoys who then facilitated the enemy’s rapid entry into the city. The court, in a desperate attempt to appease the invaders, selected palace women and noble ladies to offer as tribute, along with large quantities of gold and silver, thus enabling looting and fuelling public outrage. This triggered riots among the populace. In AD 1127, the Jin army retreated north, taking Emperor Huizong and Emperor Qinzong captive to the Five Kingdoms City, an episode known in history as the “Northern Exile”. Both emperors were subsequently demoted to commoner status and died in captivity in foreign lands.

Iridium, one of the platinum group metals, is exceedingly rare in nature, with an average crustal abundance of less than 0.001 ppm. Its extremely high melting point and chemical inertness rendered it impractical for use in ancient metallurgy and excluded it from standard smelting processes. Nevertheless, trace amounts of iridium may occur as inclusions or associated minerals within naturally forming deposits of gold, silver, and copper—particularly in compositae ore bodies formed from igneous rocks, such as pyrite, chalcopyrite, or alluvial gold sands containing platinum group elements. Typical concentrations range from 0.1 to 1 ppm, with highly enriched concentrates rarely exceeding 10 ppm. Given the limitations of ancient refining techniques, such trace impurities could remain in partially purified metals. For instance, tens to hundreds of parts per billion (ppb) of iridium have been detected in silverware that was not thoroughly cupelled, serving as a geochemical signature of natural ore sources. Similarly, iridium content below 1 ppm in early copper alloys or chalcopyrite-derived products may reflect residual platinum group elements—such as platinum, osmium, or ruthenium—from the original geological context.

物件編號: A2743

年代: 公元 1126-1127 年

The results after XRF testing

材質: 鐵

尺寸: 22.3 x 22.3 x 2.2 mm

重量: 4.2 g

來源: 大城郵幣社 2020

這是一枚於北宋欽宗靖康年間(公元1126至1127年)，所鑄行的「靖康通寶」鐵錢。幣值為一文，亦稱小平錢。

錢幣形制為漢文化圈傳統之方孔圓錢。錢面錢文為「靖康通寶」篆書，自上而下、自右而左對讀。字體較大，筆畫折角處圓中帶方，「通」、「寶」字較長。

錢面背外輪內廓俱全，流銅未除，錢背輪廓較淺，光素無文。此特徵之錢前譜未見。

自宋欽宗受禪，改元靖康，至汴京城陷，不及周年。加以兵連禍結、宋廷潰亂。是故靖康錢後世稀見，只見譜錄，難見實物，存世極少。李氏朝鮮《承政院日記》於數百年後，尚記載會寧地區出土陪靈五國城之宋臣，其陪葬「靖康通寶」之傳說。

終北宋一朝，小平鐵錢主要流通於四川地區。宋代四川地區鐵錢的使用，源於當地銅資源極度匱乏以及交通不便所造成的貨幣短缺問題。自五代十國以來，四川已有以鐵鑄錢的傳統，宋初沿襲此制，並在北宋中後期因戰爭與財政壓力加劇，中央政府更大規模地在四川推行鐵錢政策。由於鐵易得且冶煉成本低，鐵錢成為當地主要流通貨幣。政府為擴大鐵錢使用，曾鑄造多種面額，包括折五、折十等大面額鐵錢，意圖以少量貨幣完成大額交易，以減輕攜帶不便。然而，鐵錢因質地粗劣、重量大、易鏽蝕，導致流通困難，其實際購買力常與面額不符，引發市場混亂與物價波動。再加上鐵錢難以與銅錢等值兌換，造成匯率紊亂與通貨失衡，民間對其信任度日益下滑。四川地區甚至一度出現私自冶鐵鑄錢的現象，加劇經濟秩序的不穩。雖然政府後期嘗試透過發行紙幣如交子來取代鐵錢，鐵錢依舊在地方經濟中扮演重要角色。

宋欽宗趙桓，是北宋第九位皇帝。於宣和八年(公元1126年)，因金兵南侵，受禪於徽宗，改元靖康。但欽宗即位後無力整頓朝政，對內優柔寡斷，對外缺乏戰略。他在位僅一年，期間多次更換將領、排擠主戰派李綱，任用無能武將與宦官主政。在金兵圍攻開封時，迷信道士施法禳敵，派人登城畫符焚香，期望以天命神兵退敵。有人聲稱可用符咒召雷驅敵，欽宗亦信以為真。此外，欽宗於金軍圍城期間輕信金人撤軍假象，於第二次圍城時毫無戒備，開門接納金使，最終導致敵軍長驅直入，國都失陷。朝廷為求苟安，選送宮女與貴族女子、進貢金銀予敵，助長掠奪，激起民憤，導致百姓暴動。靖康二年，金軍北還，徽宗與欽宗父子俱被俘北上，押送至五國城，史稱「北狩」。後徽、欽二宗被廢為庶人，客死異域。

銥(Iridium)作為鉑族金屬之一，在自然界中極為稀少，地殼平均含量不足0.001ppm，其高熔點與化學惰性使其在古代金屬工藝中並不具實用性，也難以通過常規冶煉程序進入合金主體。然而，在金、銀、銅等金屬礦物的自然生成與地質成礦過程中，銥有機會以極微量的包裹體或伴生礦形式出現，特別是在某些以火成岩為母岩的複合型礦床中，例如黃鐵礦、黃銅礦或含鉑族礦物的沖積金砂，一般含量通常為0.1至1ppm，在罕見的富集精礦中，最高也不會超過10ppm。由於古代礦石提煉技術無法完全去除這類痕量雜質，部分未經高純度精煉的金屬中可能保留痕量銥，例如在未經重度分金的銀器中檢出數十至數百ppb銥，被視為天然礦源的指標之一。同樣，源自含鉑族金屬微粒礦石的早期銅合金或黃銅礦煉製產物中，若檢出ppm級以下的銥成分，也可能反映出原礦地質背景中鉑族元素(如鉑、鋨、釕等)的自然殘留。