Ancient Chinese Coins

CHINA. Northern Song Dynasty. 10 Cash, ND (1102-06). Hui Zong (Chong Ning). NGC Genuine.

Hartill-16.401. Obverse: "Chong Ning tong bao;" Reverse: Plain. Very well produced for the issue with original surfaces. A must-have for any collector of ancient Chinese coins. The penultimate ruler of the Northern Song dynasty before its flight and reestablishment in the south, Emperor Huizong reigned for the first quarter of the 12th century, from 1100 until his abdication in favor of his eldest son, Emperor Qinzong, in 1126. During his reign, the Northern Song reached its territorial zenith, bordering the Dai Viet and Dali to the south, the Tibetans and Western Xia to the west, and the Liao to the north. In spite of possessing a vast realm, Emperor Huizong proved to be a rather ineffective ruler, spending much of his time as a patron of the arts rather than overseeing state affairs. Poetry, music, and paintings were all given great attention by the emperor, as well as something for which he was widely known-calligraphy. Throughout much of Chinese numismatics and until the very end of the end of the empire, coinage took a very formulaic approach, with much of the vast output taking the form of cast-usually in bronze-coins known as "cash." These simplistic pieces generally had square openings at the center allowing for multiples-often in groups of 100-to be strung together for ease of accounting and trade. Four characters would generally occupy the four corners of the obverse, with the reverse usually remaining blank. While these characters featured varying styles of script, Emperor Huizong's noted skills in calligraphy demanded that he offer his input and artistry. During the early portion of his reign (1102-1106), a series of mostly 10 Cash denominated issues employed his own personal calligraphic style, known as the "shòu jīn" (slender gold) script. This iconic writing was admired for its "iron strokes" and "silver hooks," presenting a forceful yet elegant overall appearance. Contemporaneous with these "slender gold" issues was a series featuring the rather ubiquitous "seal script," whereby the characters took upon a softer, far less jagged look, with many perpendicular and parallel lines. This form of script also presents a degree of elegance through its seemingly malleable approach. Despite the direction and overall stability of the Northern Song dynasty during the reign of Emperor Huizong, the cash coins from this period offer a glimpse into his desire for elegance and artistry, and an overall push toward the aesthetic. This numismatic beauty can be seen as camouflaging the political roiling which was taking place and ultimately caused the shrinking and forced moving of the Northern Song to simply the dynasty's portion in the south.

Estimate: $ 100.00 - 150.00

北宋崇寧通寶折十。

正面為“崇寧通寶”；反面光滑。此版別而言做工精細，原始幣面。中國古錢收藏中不可或缺的一枚。 北宋南遷前的倒數第二位皇帝，徽宗於1100年即位，1126年退位讓賢給長子趙桓，是為欽宗。在位期間，北宋版圖達致巔峰，南至大越及大理，西觸吐蕃及西夏，北及遼。儘管地域廣闊，徽宗並不是一名合格的統治者。他對藝術的熱枕遠超於管理國事。宋徽宗酷愛詩詞歌賦，書法造詣更是為人稱道，瘦金體便是由他所創。直至清朝覆沒，中國貨幣的形式大多雷同，通常都是澆鑄而製的帶孔黃銅錢幣，俗稱“銅錢”。中央孔通常呈方形，可用繩索串起多至一百枚，以方便交易及算賬。正面四角各有一漢字，反面則為空白。正面字體多樣化，徽宗因其書法技藝高超，在其早期統治下（1102-1106），大部分十文上書其獨創的瘦金體。此書法以鐵劃銀鈎著稱，字形蒼勁典雅。除瘦金體外，篆書亦是銅錢字體常客。與瘦金體相反，篆書以柔和圓潤、結構均匀聞名，但同樣極具美感。儘管徽宗治下的宋國政局動蕩，最終被迫瑟縮北方，但其銅錢卻展現出其對藝術的追求，並促使銅錢設計向美學邁進，為其政治管理上的失敗略掩一二。