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Southern Song Dynasty
Jianyan Tongbao
(Regular Script Version 5)
南宋 建炎通寶
(楷書五版)
Item number: A4377
Year: AD 1127-1130
Material: Bronze
Size: 29.5 x 29.3 x 1.4 mm
Weight: 6.2 g
Provenance: Spink 2023
This coin, minted during the reign of Emperor Gaozong of the Southern Song dynasty, is a “Jianyan Tongbao” coin, characterised by inscriptions in the regular script style. The script remains relatively clear despite some wear.
The coin is a typical square-holed coin, with a square hole at the centre. The obverse side features the four characters “Jianyan Tongbao” in regular script.
The “Jianyan Tongbao” coins were minted during the Jianyan era (AD 1127-AD 1130) of Emperor Gaozong’s reign, a period marked by the transition of power and the Southern migration of the Song court. Despite these upheavals, the minting of coins continued uninterrupted, with many mints remaining active in producing currency. Among the various types of “Jianyan Tongbao” coins, those featuring regular and seal scripts are most common.
Generally, xiaoping coins possess a diameter ranging from 23.8 to 25.6 mm and a weight between 2 and 4.7 g; zhe’er (value-two) coins measure 25.5 to 31 mm in diameter with a weight of 2.2 to 8.9 g; and zhesan (value-three) coins feature a diameter of 31.4 to 32.6 mm and a weight of 6.3 to 8.4 g.