Item number: A4041

Reference number: Yan#764；DCD#145-1

Year: AD 1056-1063

Material: Bronze

Size: 23.8 x 23.4 x 1.0 mm

Weight: 3.15 g

Provenance: Spink 2023

This specimen is a Jiayou Tongbao (嘉祐通寶), cast during the final regnal era of Emperor Renzong (仁宗), the fourth monarch of the Northern Song Dynasty. Throughout his forty-one-year reign, Zhao Zhen (趙禎), Emperor Renzong, utilised nine successive era names.

The numismatic form of this specimen adheres to the traditional round coin with a square hole characteristic of the Sinospheric cultural realm. The obverse inscription features the four characters Jiayou Tongbao (嘉祐通寶) in regular script, intended to be read in top-to-bottom and right-to-left order. The calligraphy is relatively small with compact brushstrokes. The reverse of the coin is a plain back, devoid of any denominations or inscriptions. These coins are primarily excavated in Shaanxi; however, the mints in Shaanxi during the Song Dynasty were predominantly established following the outbreak of the Song–Xia War, specifically from the Qingli (慶曆) era (AD 1041–1048) onwards. Other early Song coinage was largely produced at the Yongping (永平) Mint in Raozhou, the Yongfeng (永豐) Mint in Chizhou, the Guangning (廣寧) Mint in Jiangzhou, and the Fengguo (豐國) Mint in Jianzhou, all of which were situated in the south-eastern regions. Additionally, the capital’s central mint, the Baoxing (寶興) Mint in Hangzhou, and the Shengzhou (升州) Mint operated on a smaller scale.

Song Dynasty coinage employed the sand-casting method, though specific procedural details remain obscure. Referencing the Tiangong Kaiwu (天工開物) by Song Yingxing of the Ming Dynasty, the process likely involved craftsmen hand-carving an original ancestor coin, from which a limited number of mother coins were produced in sand moulds; these mother coins were subsequently used to cast the circulating currency. Throughout this repetitive casting process, the mother coins were subjected to pressure from the moulding sand, resulting in minute abrasions. This wear gradually affected the dimensions and the clarity of the character edges, leading to thickened brushstrokes and rounded transitions at the joints of the characters. Should a specimen originate from a private minter using circulating coins as secondary mother coins for sand casting, the degree of shrinkage and textual blurring would be even more pronounced. Driven by profit, private minters produced coins that were typically thinner and lighter than official issues.

If the moulds are not properly aligned after being joined, or if they are subjected to impact, an axial misalignment or off-centre strike of the design may occur. After breaking the coin moulds to remove the solidified copper coin trees, craftsmen would snap off the individual coins and stack them, passing bamboo or wooden rods through the central apertures to facilitate collective filing and polishing. If the rod was misaligned during this insertion, it resulted in the phenomenon of a distorted or diamond-shaped central hole.

Emperor Renzong (仁宗), Zhao Zhen (趙禎), reigned from AD 1022 to 1063 as the fourth emperor of the Northern Song. His reign was a period of national stability and relative social prosperity, historically lauded as the “Prosperous Governance of Renzong.” Politically, he promoted civilian rule and employed distinguished officials such as Fan Zhongyan (范仲淹), Bao Zheng (包拯), Han Qi (韓琦), and Ouyang Xiu (歐陽修), facilitating reforms in the imperial examinations and administrative systems. Although frequently opposed by conservative factions, these efforts laid the foundation for the subsequent Xining (熙寧) Reforms. Known for his magnanimity and benevolence, Renzong was tolerant toward his subordinates and adept at accepting remonstrances; despite occasional factional strife, the overall political situation remained stable. During his tenure, he personally adjudicated numerous miscarriages of justice and advocated for Confucianism and frugality. Diplomatically, he maintained peace treaties with the Liao and Western Xia, avoiding large-scale warfare through the payment of annual subsidies in exchange for border security, thus establishing the stable mid-period of the Northern Song.

The monetary system of the Song Dynasty was complex, with both copper and iron utilised as official circulating materials alongside paper currency. Silver also gradually assumed a position of importance. Copper coins were issued in various denominations, ranging from a value of one to ten. Various circuits minted currency according to local demand; some utilised only copper, others only iron, and some employed both. The calligraphic styles varied extensively, including regular script, clerical script, seal script, and slender gold script. The inaugural simultaneous issuance of coins in multiple calligraphic styles began with the Chunhua Yuanbao (淳化元寶) under Emperor Taizong, while the first issuance of matched pairs—series of coins with identical forms but differing calligraphic styles—likely commenced with the Tiansheng Yuanbao (天聖元寶) under Emperor Renzong.

物件編號: A4041

參考書目編號: Yan#764；DCD#145-1

年代: 公元 1056-1063 年

材質: 青銅

尺寸: 23.8 x 23.4 x 1.0 mm

重量: 3.15 g

來源: 斯賓克拍賣行 2023

這是北宋的第四位皇帝宋仁宗，以其使用的最後一個年號鑄造的「嘉祐通寶」。宋仁宗趙禎在位的41年間，先後使用過九個年號。

錢幣形制為漢文化圈傳統的方孔圓錢。正面錢文為楷書「嘉祐通寶」，四字均自上而下，由右而左對讀。字體較小，筆劃緊密。錢幣背面為光背，無任何面額與文字。主要於陝西出土，宋代陝西錢監多設於宋夏戰爭爆發以後，即慶曆以降。其餘宋初鑄錢多出於饒州永平監、池州永豐監、江州廣寧監、建州豐國監，均位於東南。此外還有京師鑄錢監、杭州寶興監、升州錢監等，規模則較小。

宋代鑄錢採用翻砂法，但具體工藝流程不詳。參考明代宋應星所撰《天工開物》，應為工匠手刻製作雕母后，再於砂模中翻製出一定數量的母錢，最後再以這些母錢鑄造出行用錢。在不斷翻鑄的過程中，母錢會受到砂模中型砂的擠壓，從而有微小的磨損。從而逐漸影響尺寸的大小和字口的清晰程度，形成筆劃變粗，字口轉折處變圓的效果。若是錢幣來自以行用錢為母錢再翻砂鑄造的私鑄者，錢幣縮水及文字模糊的程度會更加嚴重，由於私鑄者為追求利益，私鑄錢幣往往較行用錢更加輕薄。

合範後若未妥善對齊，或是遭撞擊等，可能會導致圖樣的偏軸。破開錢範取出已凝固的銅錢樹後，工匠會將錢幣一一摘斷並相疊，以竹木條貫穿中央，以利於一併磨銼。若貫穿時位置不正，即會出現花穿或菱穿現象。

宋仁宗趙禎，公元1022–1063年在位，為北宋第四位皇帝。仁宗統治時期國力穩定，社會相對繁榮，史稱「仁宗盛治」。政治上，他推崇文治，重用范仲淹、包拯、韓琦、歐陽修等名臣，推動科舉與制度改革，雖屢遭保守勢力反對，但為後世熙寧變法奠定基礎。仁宗性格寬厚仁慈，對臣下多寬容，善於納諫，儘管治下黨爭時起，但整體政局安定。他任內多次親自裁決冤獄，並提倡儒學與節儉。在外交上，最終決定與遼、西夏維持和議，避免大規模戰爭，透過歲幣換取邊境和平，形成北宋中期的穩定局面。

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。首度同時發行多書體錢幣，自太宗淳化元寶始，而首度發行對錢，即形制相仿但書體不同的系列錢幣，大概自仁宗天聖元寶始。