Item number: A4369

Reference number: DCD#630-1

Year: AD 934-937 dated

Material: Bronze

Size: 24.8 x 24.7 x 1.3 mm

Weight: 4.3 g

Manufactured by: Chengdu

Provenance: Spink 2023

This specimen is a Dashu Tongbao purportedly issued by the Later Shu regime during the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms period; however, it is likely a forgery.

The typology follows the traditional round coin with a square hole characteristic of the Sinospheric cultural circle. The obverse legend is executed in regular script, read top-to-bottom and right-to-left. A pellet is situated between the characters Shu and Bao. While the character Shu conforms to established numismatic catalogues, the remaining characters are rendered in the Slender Gold calligraphy. The reverse is plain and unmarked, with an effaced inner border.

Following the Huang Chao Rebellion of the late Tang Dynasty, the resulting power vacuum in the Central Plains facilitated the rise of regional military governors. Meng Zhixiang was invested as the King of Shu by the Later Tang in AD 933 and subsequently proclaimed himself Emperor in Chengdu in AD 934, establishing the state known historically as the Later Shu. Meng Zhixiang died only three months after his accession and was succeeded by his son, Meng Chang. Although the Meng regime initially claimed to eschew the decadence of the Former Shu, the ruling class remained excessively extravagant and contributed little to political or economic development. The Later Shu endured for thirty-three years under two sovereigns before falling to the Northern Song expansion in AD 965.

Regarding currency, the Later Shu inherited the bao-qian system established during the Tang Dynasty. However, its coinage diverged significantly from the Former Shu style; while the latter primarily adopted the legend Yuanbao with a circumscriptive reading, the Later Shu transitioned to the legend Tongbao read top-to-bottom. The primary issues of the Later Shu included the Dashu Tongbao and the Guangzheng Tongbao. The Dashu Tongbao was predominantly cast in copper; due to Meng Zhixiang’s brief reign, extant specimens are exceptionally rare, though some theories suggest they were cast during the Minde era of Meng Chang. In AD 938, the first year of the Guangzheng era, Meng Chang commenced the minting of Guangzheng Tongbao copper coins. During the later stages of his reign, mounting military expenditures led to fiscal depletion, necessitating the large-scale production of iron and lead coinage from AD 955 or AD 962 to address the shortage of copper and funds. By the twilight of the Later Shu, the excessive issuance of iron coinage resulted in the mixed circulation of iron and copper pieces in Chengdu. Overall, the scale and technical execution of Later Shu minting were inferior to those of the Former Shu.

物件編號: A4369

參考書目編號: DCD#630-1

年代: 標示為公元 934-937 年

材質: 青銅

尺寸: 24.8 x 24.7 x 1.3 mm

重量: 4.3 g

製造地: 成都

來源: 斯賓克拍賣行 2023

這是一枚五代十國時期後蜀政權所鑄行的「大蜀通寶」。應為偽造。

錢幣形制為漢文化圈傳統的方孔圓錢。正面錢文楷書「大蜀通寶」，自上而下，自右而左對讀。「蜀、寶」字間有一圓點。錢文除「蜀」字合錢譜外，其餘均為瘦金體。錢背則光素無文，內廓漫漶。

唐末黃巢之亂後，中原權力真空導致藩鎮割據，孟知祥於公元933年受後唐封為蜀王，隔年(公元934年)在成都稱帝，國號蜀，史稱後蜀。孟知祥即位僅三個月後便病逝，其子孟昶繼位。儘管孟氏政權初期聲稱戒除前蜀的奢靡之風，實際上統治階層仍多過度奢侈，對政治與經濟建設鮮有顯著貢獻。後蜀在成都被北宋滅亡前，歷經二主，國祚共三十三年。至公元965年，隨著北宋軍隊南下，後蜀滅亡。

在貨幣方面，後蜀承襲了唐朝創立的「寶錢制」，但與前蜀錢文多採「元寶」且環讀(旋讀)的風格截然不同，後蜀錢文改採「通寶」並上下對讀。後蜀主要鑄幣包含「大蜀通寶」與「廣政通寶」。大蜀通寶多為銅質，因孟知祥在位時間極短，現存實物極為稀少，亦有說法認為其乃孟昶明德年間所鑄。公元938年(廣政元年)，孟昶始鑄廣政通寶銅錢。到了統治後期，因軍費支出日益沉重，導致財政匱乏，遂於公元955年(或公元962年)開始大量鑄造鐵錢與鉛錢，以彌補銅料與經費之不足。到了後蜀末期，由於鐵錢濫發，鐵、銅錢在成都出現參雜流通的現象，其鑄錢規模與工藝質量整體而言均遜於前蜀。