Item number: A3940

Year: AD 1004-1007

Material: Bronze

Size: 24.2 x 24.4 x 1.0 mm

Weight: 2.75 g

Provenance: Spink 2023

This coin is a Jingde Yuanbao small cash coin, cast between the first and fourth years of the Jingde reign of Emperor Zhenzong of the Northern Song dynasty, that is, from AD 1004 to 1007.

The coin conforms to the traditional round cash form with a square central aperture characteristic of the Sinosphere. Both obverse and reverse bear an outer rim and an inner border. The obverse inscription reads Jingde Yuanbao in regular script and is read in clockwise sequence beginning from the top. A small perforation appears above the character bao (寶). Both the coin body and the calligraphy are relatively small. The reverse is plain and uninscribed, and the outer rim is comparatively narrow.

Emperor Zhenzong of Song, Zhao Heng (r. AD 997–1022), was the third emperor of the Northern Song dynasty. During his reign, he carried forward the centralising policies of his predecessor, Emperor Taizong, and worked to strengthen state institutions. Politically, he heeded the advice of key ministers such as Kou Zhun, and in the first year of the Jingde era (AD 1004), personally led a military campaign to Chanyuan to confront the Liao dynasty. This ultimately resulted in a peace settlement known as the Treaty of Chanyuan, which established the framework of annual tribute and peaceful coexistence between Song and Liao, ushering in nearly a century of relative peace.

Domestically, Emperor Zhenzong implemented the “Three Departments Regulations Office” to enhance fiscal oversight, promoted agriculture and water conservancy, and introduced various cultural and educational reforms. He expanded the National Academy and promoted Confucian learning, placing great importance on imperial lectures.

Zhenzong was also deeply devoted to Daoism, frequently engaging in grand rituals of worship and the reception of celestial omens. This religious inclination was particularly evident during the Tianxi era, marked by the adoption of the era name “Dazhong Xiangfu” and the large-scale construction of temples and Daoist shrines. His efforts to invoke divine legitimacy through religious symbolism added a strong theocratic tone to his rule. Though criticised by later generations, these actions reflected his attempt to reinforce imperial authority through ritual and sacred mandates. In his later years, due to declining health, governance was overseen jointly by Empress Liu and the crown prince Zhao Zhen, who would later ascend the throne as Emperor Renzong.

The coinage system of the Northern and Southern Song was complex. Among the officially circulating issues, both copper-alloy and iron coins were employed, functioning in tandem with paper money as a counterbalancing medium. Silver, meanwhile, gradually assumed an increasingly important role. Copper cash were issued with face values ranging from zhe-1 to zhe-10. Each circuit minted coins according to local demand: some used only copper cash, some only iron cash, and others a mixture of both. Calligraphic styles likewise varied, including regular script, clerical script, seal script, and Slender Gold, among others. In terms of material, the coinage is often described broadly as “bronze”, but in practice it was chiefly a ternary alloy of copper, tin, and lead.

物件編號: A3940

年代: 公元 1004-1007 年

材質: 青銅

尺寸: 24.2 x 24.4 x 1.0 mm

重量: 2.75 g

來源: 斯賓克拍賣行 2023

此錢為「景德元寶」小平錢。於北宋真宗景德元年至景德四年(公元1004至1007年)間鑄造。

錢幣形制為漢文化圈傳統的方孔圓錢，錢面背均具外輪及內廓。錢面錢文為「景德元寶」，楷書，自上方而順時針方向旋讀。「寶」字上方有一細孔。錢體與字體較小。錢背光素無文，外輪較窄。

宋真宗趙恆(公元997至1022年在位)，是北宋第三位皇帝。在位期間，他繼承太宗之業，致力於中央集權的鞏固與國家體制的完善。政治上，真宗採納寇準等重臣之議，在景德元年(公元1004年)親征澶淵，與遼國對峙，最終議和簽訂「澶淵之盟」，確立宋遼間歲幣和議的基本格局，為北宋帶來一世紀的相對和平。在內政方面，他推行「三司條例司」，強化財政管理，發展農業與水利，並實施多項文教措施，擴充國子監，提倡儒學，重視經筵講學。宋真宗熱衷於神仙信仰與祥瑞符命，崇尚道教，屢次大舉封禪與迎真，尤以天禧年間冊立《大中祥符》年號為表徵，並興建大批祠廟與道觀，推崇天命以穩固皇權，形成濃厚的宗教政治色彩。儘管此舉在後世頗受爭議，但亦體現其藉宗教儀式凝聚政權正當性的努力。真宗晚年體弱，由皇后劉氏與太子趙禎(後來的宋仁宗)共同輔政。

兩宋幣制複雜，正式行用的幣材便有銅鐵兩種，配合紙幣相權。白銀則逐漸佔有重要地位。銅幣面額折一至折十不等。各路依需求各自鑄錢，有些只用銅錢，有些只用鐵錢，有些銅鐵兼用。字體則楷書、隸書、篆書、瘦金體等不一而足。幣材則多以青銅為主，實則為銅錫鉛三元合金。