Item number: A3777

Reference number: SNMC#2-22

Year: AD 1095-1101

Material: Bronze

Size: 23.3 x 23.1 x 0.9 mm

Weight: 3.2 g

Provenance: Spink 2023

This is the Shouchang Yuanbao, cast under the fifth reign title, Shouchang (AD 1095–1101), of Emperor Daozong of the Liao dynasty, Yelü Hongji, the eighth ruler of the dynasty. From the Dakang era of Emperor Daozong of the Liao dynasty onward, the coin names were uniformly designated as Yuanbao.

The coin conforms to the traditional Han cultural-sphere form of a round coin with a square central perforation. The obverse inscription, Shouchang Yuanbao, is read from the top and then clockwise to the right. The calligraphy combines elements of regular and clerical scripts. The character chang is rendered in a comparatively squat form, known as the “short chang” variety, while in the character yuan the initial horizontal stroke is notably short, a form referred to as the “short-horizontal yuan.” The reverse field is plain and uninscribed.

According to Liao institutional practice, coinage was mostly cast by the Directorate of Revenue of the Eastern Capital Circuit, which was subordinate to the Southern Administration Grand King, and the minting location was probably the administrative centre at Liaoyang Prefecture. In addition, agencies responsible for money and textiles were also established in regions such as the Liaoxi Circuit, Pingzhou Circuit, Changchun Prefecture, and Yuzhou, which likely also possessed mining and metallurgical facilities.

The Liao dynasty, also known as the Khitan, originated from a nomadic tribal confederation in northeastern China; the term Khitan is also associated with the meaning “iron.” From the moment the tribal leader Yelü Abaoji proclaimed the founding of the state in AD 907, the Liao rapidly became a dominant power on the northern Asian steppe and exerted substantial pressure on the Han Chinese regimes to the south.

Emperor Daozong, Yelü Hongji, was the eighth ruler of the Liao dynasty, reigning from AD 1055 to 1101, and shortly thereafter formally adopted the dynastic name Great Liao. Despite his long reign, he was marked by extravagance and political corruption, under which the state entered a period of decline. A succession of crises—including the Luan River uprising, the miscarriage of justice in the Shixiangci affair, the rebellion of Yelü Yixin, and the Mogusi revolt—destabilised the central government. Yelü Hongji was also a devout patron of Buddhism, expending vast resources on the construction of monasteries and pagodas, leading later generations to remark that “the Liao was ruined through devotion to Buddhism.” During his reign, the Jurchen gradually absorbed other tribes and rose to prominence. Ultimately, in AD 1125, all five Liao capitals fell, the last emperor, Tianzuo, was captured, and the Great Liao dynasty collapsed. Remnant forces under figures such as Yelü Dashi fled westward into Central Asia, where they established the Western Liao.

物件編號: A3777

參考書目編號: SNMC#2-22

年代: 公元 1095-1101 年

材質: 青銅

尺寸: 23.3 x 23.1 x 0.9 mm

重量: 3.2 g

來源: 斯賓克拍賣行 2023

這是遼朝第八任皇帝遼道宗耶律洪基，以其使用的第五個年號「壽昌」(公元1095至1101年)，所鑄造的「壽昌元寶」。自遼道宗大康年間後，錢名均為「元寶」。

錢幣形制為漢文化圈傳統的方孔圓錢。正面錢文「壽昌元寶」，自上而右旋讀。字體楷隸相參。「昌」字字形較矮，稱「短昌」；「元」字首筆橫劃較短，稱「短橫元」。錢幕光素無文。

依遼朝制度，錢幣多鑄於東京道戶部司，為南院大王所屬，鑄地可能為治所遼陽府。此外，遼西路、平州路、長春州、蔚州等地另設有錢帛司，應亦有坑冶。

遼朝又稱作契丹，為發源於中國東北的遊牧民族部落，契丹一詞又有「鐵」的意思。公元907年，部落首領耶律阿保機宣布建國伊始，遼朝成為北亞草原的霸主並且對於南方的漢人政權構成巨大的壓力。

遼道宗耶律洪基為第八任皇帝，公元1055至1101年在位，未幾改國號契丹為大遼。其雖長期在任，卻奢侈無度，政治腐敗，國勢在其執政下步入衰弱。先後有灤河之亂、十香詞冤案、耶律乙辛之亂、磨古斯叛亂，中樞動搖。耶律洪基並篤信佛教，靡費巨資修築佛寺、佛塔，使後世有｢遼以釋廢｣之評。女真於其任內逐漸合併他部，繼而崛起。最終於公元1125年，遼五京全部淪陷，末帝天祚帝遭俘，大遼滅亡。殘部耶律大石等則向西遁逃至中亞，成立西遼。