Item number: A3802

Year: AD 948-950

Material: Bronze

Size: 24.0 x 23.9 x 0.9 mm

Weight: 3.0 g

Provenance: Spink 2023

This is a bronze Hanyuan Tongbao coin issued during the Qianyou reign (AD 948–950) by the Han Yin Emperor, the second and also final ruler of the Later Han, a Shatuo polity centred on the North China Plain amid the era of regional fragmentation known as the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms following the fall of the Tang dynasty.

The coin conforms to the traditional round cash coin with a square central perforation characteristic of the Han cultural sphere. The obverse inscription reads “Hanyuan Tongbao,” to be read vertically from top to bottom and horizontally from right to left. The characters yuan, tong, and bao are executed in clerical script, closely resembling those of the Tang Kaiyuan Tongbao; in particular, the secondary stroke of the character yuan frequently flares leftwards. The character Han combines elements of running and regular script: in the water radical (氵), the second and third strokes are written as a continuous stroke, a feature known as “linked-water Han” (lian shui Han), while the remaining components are largely simplified. On the reverse, below the square perforation, there is a crescent-shaped motif, described as a “crescent below.” This type is not recorded in earlier catalogues; the obverse inscription closely resembles that of the plain-back variety.

The founder of the Later Han was Liu Zhiyuan, a Shatuo who had previously been a leading general of the Later Jin and commander of Hedong (around present-day Taiyuan, Shanxi). In AD 947, the Later Jin collapsed following Khitan invasion. Seizing the ensuing power vacuum in the Central Plains, Liu Zhiyuan proclaimed himself emperor at Taiyuan, adopting the dynastic name “Han,” later known as the Later Han to distinguish it from the Former and Later Han of antiquity. Institutionally and militarily, the Later Han relied heavily on the Shatuo military elite, perpetuating the Five Dynasties pattern of powerful regional commanders and military interference in politics, and thus resting on a fragile foundation of rule. In AD 948, after Liu Zhiyuan died of illness, his son Liu Chengyou ascended the throne, later known as the Han Yin Emperor. Young and lacking political authority, he allowed court affairs to fall increasingly into the hands of close attendants and eunuchs, while coming into sharp conflict with senior generals who controlled the armed forces. In an effort to curb military power, he attempted to eliminate veteran commanders led by Guo Wei, provoking a backlash. In AD 951, Guo Wei marched into the capital; the Yin Emperor was killed in a coup, and the Later Han immediately fell. Guo Wei then proclaimed himself emperor and founded the Later Zhou. The Later Han lasted only four years from its establishment to its demise. After the founding of the Later Zhou, Liu Min, a younger brother of Liu Zhiyuan, declared himself emperor, establishing the Northern Han. Allied with the Liao against the Zhou, the Northern Han suffered decisive defeat but was not immediately extinguished; it was finally conquered by Zhao Guangyi, Emperor Taizong of the Song.

物件編號: A3802

年代: 公元 948-950年

材質: 青銅

尺寸: 24.0 x 23.9 x 0.9 mm

重量: 3.0 g

來源: 斯賓克拍賣行 2023

這是唐朝滅亡後，五代十國豪強割據之際，以華北平原為中心的沙陀族政權後漢，其次帝也是末帝的漢隱帝，於乾祐年間(公元948-950年)，所鑄行之「漢元通寶」青銅錢。

錢幣形制為漢文化圈傳統的方孔圓錢。正面錢文「漢元通寶」，由上而下，由右至左對讀。「元、通、寶」字為隸書，尤近唐開元通寶，「元」字次筆多左挑；「漢」字則行楷相參，「氵」旁第二、三劃寫為連筆，稱「連水漢」，餘部則多有簡筆。錢幕錢穿下有一俯月紋，稱「背下月」。前譜未錄，面文近光背版。

後漢開國者為沙陀人劉知遠，原為後晉重要將領，鎮守河東(今山西太原一帶)。公元947年，後晉因契丹入侵而滅亡，劉知遠乘中原權力真空之際於太原稱帝，國號「漢」，史稱後漢，以別於東漢與西漢。後漢政權在制度與軍事上高度倚賴沙陀軍事集團，延續五代以來藩鎮強勢、武人干政的政治結構，統治基礎薄弱。公元948年，劉知遠病逝後，其子劉承祐即位，後稱後漢隱帝。隱帝在位期間年少而缺乏政治威望，朝政逐漸落入近臣與宦官之手，並與掌握軍權的重臣產生嚴重對立。其為削弱武將勢力，試圖誅除以郭威為首的宿將，引發反彈。公元951年，郭威率軍入京，隱帝在政變中被殺，後漢隨即滅亡。郭威隨後稱帝，建立後周。後漢自立國至滅亡僅歷四年。後周立國後，劉知遠弟劉旻自立為帝，是為北漢。曾連遼抗周，最終大敗，但未滅國。最後北漢由宋太宗趙光義所滅。