Item number: A4486

Year: AD 1234

Material: Bronze

Size: 23.0 x 23.0 x 0.9 mm

Weight: 3.25 g

Provenance: Spink 2023

This is an iron coin inscribed with “Duanping Yuanbao,” named after the third era name used by Emperor Lizong, the fifth emperor of the Southern Song Dynasty.

The numismatic morphology of the coinage conforms to the traditional Chinese convention of a round coin featuring a central square perforation. The obverse bears the legend Duanping Yuanbao rendered in regular script (kaishu), which is intended to be read in a clockwise sequence commencing from the top. On the reverse, the character yuan (元) is situated above the central aperture to signify the inaugural year of the era, corresponding to AD 1234.

During the reign of Emperor Lizong of the Song Dynasty (AD 1224–1264), a total of eight era names were used. In the Duanping period (AD 1234–1236), Lizong formed an alliance with the Mongols, leading to the destruction of the Jin Dynasty, which had controlled northern China. However, Lizong, eager to reclaim the former Northern Song capital of Bianjing (Kaifeng), broke the agreement and launched an attack against the Mongol forces. This failed campaign ultimately led to an all-out war between the Mongols and the Southern Song.

After the Mongol conquest of the Southern Song and the establishment of the Yuan Dynasty, Kublai Khan’s Tibetan Buddhist confidant, Yang Lianzhenjia, desecrated Emperor Lizong’s tomb and crafted his skull into a ritual kapala bowl. It was only after Zhu Yuanzhang overthrew the Yuan Dynasty and established the Ming Dynasty that Lizong’s remains were reburied with imperial honours.

物件編號: A4486

年代: 公元 1234 年

材質: 青銅

尺寸: 23.0 x 23.0 x 0.9 mm

重量: 3.25 g

來源: 斯賓克拍賣行 2023

這是一枚以南宋第五位皇帝，宋理宗使用的第三個年號作為命名的「端平元寶」鐵錢。

錢幣形制為中國傳統的方孔圓錢。錢幣正面錢文為楷書「端平元寶」，自上而右旋讀。錢幣背面，錢穿上方有「元」字紀年。

宋理宗在位期間 (公元1224至1264年)，先後使用過八個年號。宋理宗於端平年間和蒙古結盟，雙方一舉消滅盤據在華北的金朝。然而急於收復北宋舊都汴京的宋理宗又毀約攻擊蒙軍，最終行動失敗也引發蒙古和南宋之間全面的戰爭。蒙古滅亡南宋建立元朝之後，忽必烈的藏傳佛教親信楊璉真珈還盜取宋理宗的陵寢，將其頭骨加工為法器嘎巴拉碗。直到朱元璋推翻元朝建立明朝後，才以皇帝的禮節將宋理宗的頭骨重新下葬。