User:Donald Trung/Iron cash coins (鐡錢)

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

This page serves as "the editing history" of the English Wikipedia article "Tieqian" and is preserved for attribution.

Original draft[edit]

[[File:Da Guan Tong Bao (大觀通寶) - Iron - Scott Semans.jpg|thumb|right|An iron Daguan Tongbao (大觀通寶, 1107–1110) cash coin produced during the reign of [[Emperor Huizong of Song|Emperor Huizong]] in the [[Song dynasty]] period.]] '''Iron cash coins''' ({{zh |first=t | t= 鐡錢 | s= 铁钱 | hp= tiě qián| links=yes}}) are a type of [[Cash (Chinese coin)|Chinese cash coin]] that were produced at various times during the [[History of Chinese currency|monetary history of imperial China]]. Iron cash coins were often produced in regions where the supply of [[copper]] was insufficient, or as a method of paying for high military expenditures at times of war, as well as for exports at times of [[trade deficit]]s. While the earlier recorded iron cash coins in Chinese history were [[Wu Zhu]]'s (五銖, 118 BC–618 AD), the unearthing or iron [[Ban Liang]] (半兩) cash coins produced during the [[Western Han dynasty]] during the 1950s indicates that they may have been much older than first thought. The largest number of iron cash coins would be produced during the [[Song dynasty]] period as a result of a scarcity of copper and high military expenditures, among other reasons. The last government attempt at issuing iron cash coins occurred during 1850s the under the reign of the [[Manchu people|Manchu]] [[Qing dynasty]].<ref name="LondonSchoolOfEconomicsXunYan">{{cite web|url= http://etheses.lse.ac.uk/3307/1/Yan_In_Search_of_Power.pdf|title= In Search of Power and Credibility - Essays on Chinese Monetary History (1851-1845).|date=March 2015|accessdate=20 April 2020|author= Xun Yan|publisher= Department of Economic History, [[London School of Economics|London School of Economics and Political Science]]||language=en}}</ref> Iron cash coins were not exclusively produced by the Chinese, as other cash coin producing countries would also issue them under similar circumstances or by private mints. In [[Japan]] iron ''[[Kan'ei Tsūhō]]'' (寛永通寳) cash coins were produced by the Kamedo mint in the 1760s.<ref name="UCSB-Dr-Luke-Roberts-Kan'ei-Tsuuhou">{{cite web|url= http://roberts.faculty.history.ucsb.edu/coins/Kaneibasics.html|title= Kan'ei Tsuuhou - Basics of distinguishing Kan'ei coins.|date=24 October 2003|accessdate=20 April 2020|work= Dr. Luke Roberts at the [[University of California, Santa Barbara|Department of History - University of California at Santa Barbara]] |language=en}}</ref> == Overview == Over the course of [[History of China|Chinese history]] a number of monarchs had tried to introduce iron cash coins to the market, but as their subjects never took to them, most of these attempts to issue them were rather short-lived.<ref name="Lars-Bo-Christensen-Other-Materials">{{cite web|url= http://chinesecoins.lyq.dk/othermaterials.html|quote= http://chinesecoins.lyq.dk/othermaterials.html|title= Coins made of other materials than bronze.|date=2016|accessdate=22 April 2020|author= Lars Bo Christensen|publisher= Ancient Chinese Coins (Chinesecoins.lyq.dk)|language=en}}</ref> Sometimes bronze coins that were cast had a certain amount of iron in them, but in these cases the iron was not mixed into the copper-alloy itself, as it was just not removed during the production process, for example with some [[Warring States period]] [[Huanqian|round hole coin]]s with the inscription "Yuan" (垣) which was made of about 30% iron.<ref name="Lars-Bo-Christensen-Other-Materials"/> The mechanical strength of the cast coinages was thus reduced, but in the case of coins this was not as important as with tools as they did not serve any practical means other than their commodity value.<ref name="Lars-Bo-Christensen-Other-Materials"/> Iron cash coins were produced during the [[Han dynasty]], [[Three Kingdoms period]], [[Northern and Southern dynasties]] period, [[Five dynasties and Ten kingdoms period]], [[Song dynasty]], [[Jin dynasty (1115–1234)]], [[Western Xia dynasty]], [[Ming dynasty]], and [[Qing dynasty]], but not during the [[Zhou dynasty]], [[Jin dynasty (266–420)]], [[Sui dynasty]], [[Tang dynasty]], [[Liao dynasty]], and [[Yuan dynasty]] periods.<ref name="Lars-Bo-Christensen-Other-Materials"/> == Ban Liang cash coins == {{See also|Ban Liang}} === Western Han dynasty === It is possible that China first began using [[iron]] cash coins during the [[Western Han dynasty]], this was concluded after a number of iron [[Ban Liang]] (半兩) cash coins were unearthed in Western Han era tombs in the [[Hunan]]ese cities of [[Hengyang]] and [[Changsha]] between the years 1955 and 1959.<ref name="PrimaltrekShanxiIronCashCoinsHoard">{{cite web|url= http://primaltrek.com/blog/2015/06/29/12000-song-dynasty-iron-coins-unearthed-in-shanxi-province/|title= 12,000 Song Dynasty Iron Coins Unearthed in Shanxi Province.|date=29 June 2015|accessdate=6 April 2020|work= Gary Ashkenazy / גארי אשכנזי (Primaltrek – a journey through Chinese culture)|language=en}}</ref><ref name="ChinaNewsIronBanLiang">{{cite web|url= http://www.chinanews.com/m/cul/2015/03-09/7112538.shtml|title= 山西绛州州署遗址发现万枚北宋铁钱.|date=9 March 2015|accessdate=7 April 2020|author= Taiyuan News (太原晚报)|publisher= M.CHINANEWS.COM (中新网)|language=zh-cn}}</ref> Other specimens of iron Ban Liang cash coins were also unearthed in the province of [[Sichuan]].<ref name="Lars-Bo-Christensen-Other-Materials"/> == Wu Zhu cash coins == {{See also|Wu Zhu}} [[File:Wu Zhu (五銖) - Gongsun Shu, Sichuan Rebel, Iron coin - Scott Semans 01.jpg|thumb|left|An iron Wu Zhu (五銖) cash coin attributed to [[Gongsun Shu]]'s [[Chengjia]] state.]] === Chengjia === The Iron [[Wu Zhu]]'s of [[Chengjia]], which resemble the Western Han dynasty Wu Zhu coin, is attributed to [[Gongsun Shu]], who rebelled in [[Sichuan]] in AD 25, and issued iron coins, two being equal to one ''Jian Wu Wu Zhu'' ({{zh|c=建武五銖|hp=jiàn wǔ wǔ zhū|links=no}}). Head of the ''zhu'' component rounded.{{sfn|Hartill|2005|p=91}} Typical of Eastern Han Wu Zhu's. In AD 30, a ditty was sung by the youths of Sichuan: "The yellow bull! the white belly! Let Wu Zhu cash coins return".{{sfn|Hartill|2005|p=91}} This ridiculed the tokens of Wang Mang and the iron coins of Gongsun Shu, which were withdrawn by the Eastern Han [[Emperor Guangwu]] in the 16th year of Jian Wu (AD 40).{{sfn|Hartill|2005|p=91}} The Emperor was advised that the foundation of the wealth of a country depends on a good political economy, which was found in the good old Wu Zhu coinage, and so reissued the Wu Zhu cash coins.{{sfn|Hartill|2005|p=91}} === Liang dynasty === From the year 523 onwards the government of the [[Liang dynasty]] decided to cast iron Wu Zhu cash coins due to the fact that iron was both relatively easy and not expensive to acquire in what is today [[Sichuan]].<ref name="Primaltrek-Ancient-Chinese-Coinage">{{cite web|url= http://primaltrek.com/chinesecoins.html|title= Chinese coins – 中國錢幣 |date=16 November 2016|accessdate=3 September 2018|work= Gary Ashkenazy / גארי אשכנזי (Primaltrek – a journey through Chinese culture)|language=en}}</ref> The iron cash coins issued by the Liang dynasty are quite distinctive from other iron cash coins as they have 4 lines that radiate outwards from each corner of the square center hole which is why they're referred to as "four corner coins" (四出錢, ''sì chū qián'').<ref name="Primaltrek-Ancient-Chinese-Coinage"/> As it became quite common for the people to cast iron cash coins privately based on these government issues it wasn't long before their quantities increased so drastically that it required cartloads of these iron Wu Zhu cash coins to pay for anything, even to this day these Wu Zhu's are quite common due to the widespread private production that plagued these iron issues.<ref name="Primaltrek-Ancient-Chinese-Coinage"/> After them the Taiqing Fengle (太清豐樂, "Tai Qing Prosperous and Happy") cash coin was cast under the reign of [[Emperor Wu of Liang|Emperor Wu]], these cash coins were actually believed to be [[Chinese numismatic charm]]s until recently and were named after the Taiqing period (547-549).<ref name="Primaltrek-Ancient-Chinese-Coinage"/> == The Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms == {{See also|Ancient Chinese coinage#The Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms}} === Kingdom of Min === Issued by [[Wang Shenzhi]]: * '''[[Kaiyuan Tongbao]]''' ({{zh | c=開元通寶| hp=kāiyuán tōng bǎo| l=| links=no}}) have a large dot above on the reverse side.{{Sfn|Hartill|2005|p=116–117}} They are made of iron and date from 922. The same coin cast in bronze is extremely rare.{{Sfn|Hartill|2005|p=116–117}} Issued by [[Wang Yanxi]]: * '''Yonglong Tongbao''' ({{zh | c=永隆通寶| hp=yǒnglóng tōng bǎo| l=| links=no}}) have the character ''Min'' ({{zh | c=閩|hp=mǐn| l=| links=no}}) on the reverse and comes from the Fujian region. There is a crescent below.{{Sfn|Hartill|2005|p=116–117}} It is made of iron and dates from 942.{{Sfn|Hartill|2005|p=116–117}} One of these large Yong Long coins was worth 10 small coins and 100 lead coins. A string of 500 of these poorly made Min iron coins were popularly called a ''kao'' ({{zh | c=| hp=| l=a manacle| links=no}}).{{Sfn|Hartill|2005|p=116–117}} Issued by [[Wang Yanzheng]]: * '''Tiande Tongbao''' ({{zh | c=天德通寶| hp=tiān dé tōng bǎo| l=| links=no}}) are made of iron. When Wang Yanzheng was proclaimed Emperor, he changed the name of the kingdom to Yin, but later restored the name of Min. One of these iron coins, which were cast in 944, was worth 100 ordinary cash.{{Sfn|Hartill|2005|p=116–117}} === Kingdom of Chu === Supreme Commander [[Ma Yin]]: * '''Tiance Fubao''' ({{zh | c=天策府寶| hp=tiān cè fǔ bǎo| l=| links=no}}) are made of iron. Ma Yin, originally a carpenter, was given the rank of Supreme Commander of Tiance, Hunan, by Emperor [[Zhu Wen]] of the [[Later Liang (Five Dynasties)|Later Liang]], and minted this coin in 911 to commemorate the event. Ma Yin later became King Wumu of Chu.{{Sfn|Hartill|2005|p=117}} * '''Qianfeng Quanbao''' ({{zh | c=乾封泉寶| hp=qiān fēng quán bǎo| l=| links=no}}) are made of iron.{{Sfn|Hartill|2005|p=117}} According to the histories, because there was much lead and iron in Hunan, Ma Yin took the advice of his minister Gao Yu to cast lead and iron coins at [[Changsha]] in 925.{{Sfn|Hartill|2005|p=117}} One of these was worth ten copper cash, and their circulation was confined to Changsha.{{Sfn|Hartill|2005|p=117}} Merchants traded in these coins, to the benefit of the State.{{Sfn|Hartill|2005|p=117}} In 2000, a hoard of over 3,000 of these coins was found near Changsha.{{Sfn|Hartill|2005|p=117}} Extremely rare bronze specimens are also known.{{Sfn|Hartill|2005|p=117}} === Later Shu === * '''Guangzheng Tongbao''' ({{zh | c=廣政通寶| hp=guǎng zhèngtōng bǎo| l=| links=no}}) are made of bronze and iron.{{Sfn|Hartill|2005|p=118}} The bronze coins were cast by Meng Chang from the beginning of this period, 938.{{Sfn|Hartill|2005|p=118}} In 956, iron coins began to be cast to cover additional military expenses.{{Sfn|Hartill|2005|p=118}} They circulated until 963.{{Sfn|Hartill|2005|p=118}} === Southern Tang Kingdom === {{Main|Southern Tang coinage}} Emperor [[Li Jing (Southern Tang)|Yuan Zong]] (Li Jing) (943–961):{{Sfn|Hartill|2005|p=119–120}} * '''Baoda Yuanbao''' ({{zh | c=保大元寶| hp=bǎo dà yuán bǎo| l=| links=no}}) has on the reverse the character ''tian'' above.{{Sfn|Hartill|2005|p=119–120}} They are made of iron and date between 943–957.{{Sfn|Hartill|2005|p=119–120}} There is also an extremely rare bronze example of this coin.{{Sfn|Hartill|2005|p=119–120}} == Song dynasty == === Northern Song dynasty === {{See also|Ancient Chinese coinage#The Northern Song Dynasty}} After the [[Song dynasty]] was done with "pacifying" [[Sichuan]], the [[List of emperors of the Song dynasty|Emperor of the Song dynasty]] had the [[Da Shu coinage|bronze cash coins that were circulating in the area]] sent back to the Song Chinese capital city.<ref name="Primaltrek-Ancient-Chinese-Coinage"/> The bronze cash coins were then replaced with those cast of iron, this then caused the price of goods to soar in the region resulting in great hardship to the local populace.<ref name="Primaltrek-Ancient-Chinese-Coinage"/> In the year 978 an iron cash coin was worth {{Frac|10}} of a copper-alloy cash coin.<ref name="Calgary-Coin-Northern-Sung-Dynasty">{{cite web|url= http://www.calgarycoin.com/reference/china/china5.htm|title= Cast Chinese Coins - MEDIEVAL CHINESE COINS - THE NORTHERN SUNG DYNASTY.|date=1997|accessdate=20 April 2020|author= Robert Kokotailo|publisher= Calgary Coin & Antique Gallery|language=en}}</ref> From the beginning of the dynasty, iron coins were extensively used in present-day Sichuan and [[Shaanxi]] where copper was not readily available.{{sfn|Hartill|2005|p=125}} Between 976 and 984, a total of 100,000 strings of iron coins was produced in [[Fujian]] as well.{{sfn|Hartill|2005|p=125}} In 993, for paying the land tax one iron coin was equal to one bronze, for the salary of clerks and soldiers one bronze equalled five iron coins, but in trade ten iron coins were needed for one bronze coin.{{sfn|Hartill|2005|p=125}} In 1005, four mints in Sichuan produced over 500,000 strings of iron coins a year.{{sfn|Hartill|2005|p=125}} This declined to 210,000 strings by the beginning of the Qingli period (1041).{{sfn|Hartill|2005|p=125}} At this time, the mints were ordered to cast 3 million strings of iron cash to meet military expenses in Shaanxi.{{sfn|Hartill|2005|p=125}} However, by 1056, casting was down to 100,000 strings a year, and in 1059 minting was halted for 10 years in [[Jia Prefecture (Sichuan)|Jiazhou]] and Qiongzhou, leaving only [[Xing County|Xingzhou]] producing 30,000 strings a year.{{sfn|Hartill|2005|p=125}} {{Quote box | quote ="In the 2nd year of Ching-te (AD 1005) large iron coins were cast in the two localities of Chia-ting Fu and Chiung-chou in Szechuan, value one copper cash or ten small iron cash. These all circulated jointly and gave much satisfaction." | source = - ''Chinese Currency, Currency of the Far East A Comprehensive Text Chou Dynasty, 1122 B.C 255 B.C. Through Ch'ing Dynasty 1644 A.D 1911 A.D'' by [[Fredrik Schjöth]] and Virgil Hancock. Page 28. | width = 75% | align = center }} During the Xining period (from 1068), minting was increased, and by the Yuanfeng period (from 1078) it was reported that there were nine iron coin mints, three in Sichuan and six in Shaanxi, producing over a million strings a year.{{sfn|Hartill|2005|p=125}} Thereafter, output declined gradually.{{sfn|Hartill|2005|p=125}} Although the output of copper currency had expanded immensely by 1085, some fifty copper mines were shut down between the years 1078 and 1085.<ref name="ch'en 615">Ch'en, Jerome. "Sung Bronzes—An Economic Analysis", ''Bulletin of the School of Oriental and African Studies'' (Volume 28, Number 3, 1965): Page 615.</ref> Although there were on average more copper mines found in Northern Song China than in the previous Tang dynasty, this case was reversed during the Southern Song with a sharp decline and depletion of mined copper deposits by 1165.<ref name="ch'en 615 616">Ch'en, 615–616.</ref> Even though copper cash was abundant in the late 11th century, Chancellor [[Wang Anshi]]'s tax substitution for [[corvée]] labor and government takeover of agricultural finance loans meant that people now had to find additional cash, driving up the price of copper money which would become scarce.<ref name="ch'en 619">Ch'en, 619.</ref> To make matters worse, large amounts of government-issued copper currency exited the country via international trade, while the [[Liao dynasty]] and [[Western Xia]] actively pursued the exchange of their iron-minted coins for Song copper coins.<ref name="ch'en 621">Ch'en, 621.</ref> As evidenced by an 1103 decree, the Song government became cautious about its outflow of iron currency into the Liao Empire when it ordered that the iron was to be alloyed with tin in the smelting process, thus depriving the Liao of a chance to melt down the currency to make iron weapons.<ref>Bol, Peter K. "Whither the Emperor? Emperor Huizong, the New Policies, and the Tang-Song Transition", ''Journal of Song and Yuan Studies'', Vol. 31 (2001), pp. 103–134, p. 111.</ref> The government attempted to prohibit the use of copper currency in border regions and in seaports, but the Song-issued copper coin became common in the Liao, Western Xia, Japanese, and Southeast Asian economies.<ref name="ch'en 621"/> The Song government would turn to other types of material for its currency in order to ease the demand on the government mint, including the issuing of iron coinage and paper banknotes.<ref name="ebrey 156">Ebrey, Walthall, Palais, (2006). ''East Asia: A Cultural, Social, and Political History''. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company.</ref><ref name="ch'en 620">Ch'en, 620.</ref> In the year 976, the percentage of issued currency using copper coinage was 65%; after 1135, this had dropped significantly to 54%, a government attempt to debase the copper currency.<ref name="ch'en 620"/> As a result of government corruption, a large number of iron cash coins were cast near the final years of [[Emperor Zhezong of Song|Emperor Zhezong's]] reign.<ref name="Primaltrek-Ancient-Chinese-Coinage"/> Merchant guilds in the province of Sichuan were worldwide the first people to develop officially accepted letters of exchange, or [[paper money]], in the forms of [[Jiaozi (currency)|Jiaozi]] (交子), [[Qianyin (currency)|Qianyin]] (錢引), and [[Flying cash|Feiqian]] (飛錢), thess first forms of paper currency were provided with the security of iron cash coins.<ref name=Chinaknowledge-Economy-of-the-Song-Dynasty>{{cite web|url= http://www.chinaknowledge.de/History/Song/song-econ.html|title= Chinese History - Song Period Economy.|date= 10 May 2016|accessdate=20 April 2010|work= 2000 ff. © Ulrich Theobald - [[Chinaknowledge|ChinaKnowledge.de]] - An Encyclopaedia on Chinese History, Literature and Art|language=en}}</ref> ==== Emperor Taizu (960–976) ==== * '''Songyuan Tongbao.''' ({{ zh| c=宋元通寶| hp=sòng yuán tōng bǎo| l=| links=no}}). Written in ''li'' script.{{sfn|Hartill|2005|p=128}} The inscription is based on the ''[[Kaiyuan Tongbao]]'' series of cash coins.{{sfn|Hartill|2005|p=128}} It has a nominal weight of 1 ''qian''. Various dots and crescents are found on the reverse.{{sfn|Hartill|2005|p=128}} It was first cast in 960 and then until the end of [[Emperor Taizu of Song|Emperor Taizu]]'s reign.{{sfn|Hartill|2005|p=128}} Casting of iron cash coins started at [[Baizhangxian]], [[Yazhou]], in Sichuan, from 970. Ten furnaces cast 9,000 strings a year.{{sfn|Hartill|2005|p=128}} ==== Emperor Taizong (976–997) ==== * '''Taiping Tongbao''' ({{ zh| first=t| c=太平通寶| hp=tài píng tōng bǎo| l=| links=no}}) (976–989).{{sfn|Hartill|2005|p=131}} Written in ''li'' script.{{sfn|Hartill|2005|p=131}} Various dots and crescents are found on the reverse.{{sfn|Hartill|2005|p=131}} There are also iron cash coins with this inscription.{{sfn|Hartill|2005|p=131}} The small iron coins come from Sichuan and 10 were equivalent to one bronze coin.{{sfn|Hartill|2005|p=131}} The large iron cash coin have a large dot above on the reverse.{{sfn|Hartill|2005|p=131}} This coin was cast at [[Jian'ou|Jianzhou]], Fujian in 983, and was intended to be equivalent to 3 bronze coins.{{sfn|Hartill|2005|p=131}} * '''Chunhua Yuanbao''' ({{ zh| first=t| c=淳化元寶| hp=chún huà yuánbǎo| l=| links=no}}) (990–994). Written in regular, running, and grass script.{{sfn|Hartill|2005|p=131}} There are also small and large iron coins.{{sfn|Hartill|2005|p=131}} They have a nominal value of 10.{{sfn|Hartill|2005|p=131}} In 991, 20,000 iron coins were needed in the market for one roll of silk.{{sfn|Hartill|2005|p=131}} Permission was requested to alter the casting to Value Ten coins in the Imperial Script pattern.{{sfn|Hartill|2005|p=131}} In one year only 3,000 strings were cast.{{sfn|Hartill|2005|p=131}} They were not considered convenient, so casting was stopped.{{sfn|Hartill|2005|p=131}} ==== Emperor Zhenzong (998–1022) ==== * '''Xianping Yuanbao''' ({{ zh| first=t| c=咸平元寶| hp=xián píng yuánbǎo| l=| links=no}}) (998–1003).{{sfn|Hartill|2005|p=131}} Written in regular script.{{sfn|Hartill|2005|p=131}} They are found in both bronze and iron.{{sfn|Hartill|2005|p=131}} * '''Jingde Yuanbao''' ({{ zh| first=t| c=景德元寶| hp=jǐng dé yuánbǎo| l=| links=no}}) (1004–1007).{{sfn|Hartill|2005|p=131}} Written in regular script. They are made of bronze;{{sfn|Hartill|2005|p=131}} Iron with Value Two;{{sfn|Hartill|2005|p=131}} or Iron with Value Ten.{{sfn|Hartill|2005|p=131}} The large iron cash coins were minted at Jiazhou and [[Qiongshan District|Qiongzhou]] in Sichuan in the year 1005.{{sfn|Hartill|2005|p=131}} They weighed 4 ''qian'' each.{{sfn|Hartill|2005|p=131}} * '''Xiangfu Yuanbao''' ({{ zh| first=t| c=祥符元寶| hp=xiáng fú yuánbǎo| l=| links=no}}) (1008–1016).{{sfn|Hartill|2005|p=131}} Written in regular script. They are made of bronze or iron.{{sfn|Hartill|2005|p=131}} They come in medium size and large sizes.{{sfn|Hartill|2005|p=131}} The large iron coins were cast from 1014 to 1016 in [[Yi Province|Yizhou]], Sichuan.{{sfn|Hartill|2005|p=131}} Their nominal value was 10 cash and weight 3.2 ''qian.''{{sfn|Hartill|2005|p=131}} * '''Tianxi Tongbao''' ({{ zh| first=t| c=天禧通寶| hp=tiān xǐ tōng bǎo| l=| links=no}}) (1017–1022).{{sfn|Hartill|2005|p=131}} Written in regular script.{{sfn|Hartill|2005|p=131}} They are made of bronze or iron.{{sfn|Hartill|2005|p=131}} At this time, there were copper coin mints at Yongping in Jiangxi, Yongfeng in Anhui, Kuangning in Fujian, Fengguo in Shanxi, and in the capital city.{{sfn|Hartill|2005|p=131}} There were also three iron coin mints in Sichuan.{{sfn|Hartill|2005|p=131}} ==== Emperor Renzong (1022–1063) ==== * '''Mingdao Yuanbao''' ({{ zh| first=t| c=明道元寶| hp=míngdào yuánbǎo| l=| links=no}}) (1032–1033).{{sfn|Hartill|2005|p=133–136}} Written in seal and regular script.{{sfn|Hartill|2005|p=133–136}} There are also iron cash coins with this inscription.{{sfn|Hartill|2005|p=133–136}} * '''Jingyou Yuanbao''' ({{ zh| first=t| c=景祐元寶| hp=jǐng yòu yuánbǎo| l=| links=no}}) (1034–1038).{{sfn|Hartill|2005|p=133–136}} Written in seal and regular script. There are both small and large iron coins.{{sfn|Hartill|2005|p=133–136}} * '''Huangsong Tongbao''' ({{ zh| first=t| c=皇宋通寶| hp=huáng sòng tōng bǎo| l=| links=no}}) (1039–1054) use seal and regular script, and have many variations.{{sfn|Hartill|2005|p=133–136}} They are made of iron and have two forms with either small or large characters.{{sfn|Hartill|2005|p=133–136}} The small character iron coins are associated with casting in Shaanxi and Shanxi in the Qing Li period (from 1044).{{sfn|Hartill|2005|p=133–136}} The large character iron cash coins are associated with Sichuan mints. The histories say that the Huang Song coin was cast in Baoyuan 2 – 1039.{{sfn|Hartill|2005|p=133–136}} As it is rather common, and there are no bronze small cash from the next three periods, it appears to have been issued for longer than one year.{{sfn|Hartill|2005|p=133–136}} * '''Kangding Yuanbao''' ({{ zh| first=t| c=康定元寶| hp=kāngdìng yuánbǎo| l=| links=no}}) (1040).{{sfn|Hartill|2005|p=133–136}} Written in ''li'' script.{{sfn|Hartill|2005|p=133–136}} They are made of iron and come in both small and medium sizes.{{sfn|Hartill|2005|p=133–136}} * '''Qingli Zhongbao''' ({{ zh| first=t| c=慶歷重寶| hp=qìnglì zhòng bǎo| l=| links=no}}) (1041–1048). Written in regular script.{{sfn|Hartill|2005|p=133–136}} There are two forms: large bronze coins and large iron coins.{{sfn|Hartill|2005|p=133–136}} The Qing Li large bronze coins, intended to be worth 10 cash, were cast in [[Jiangnan]] to fund the war with the [[Tangut people|Tangut]] [[Western Xia]] Empire.{{sfn|Hartill|2005|p=133–136}} Iron coins were cast in Shanxi and other prefectures. The large cash coins caused prices to leap up, causing [[inflation]], and both public and private interests suffered.{{sfn|Hartill|2005|p=133–136}} In 1048, the large iron coins were devalued to 3 iron cash.{{sfn|Hartill|2005|p=133–136}} === Southern Song dynasty === {{See also|Southern Song dynasty coinage}} The [[Southern Song dynasty]] saw the emergence of [[paper money]], while coins were increasingly becoming a rarity.<ref> Richard von Glahn, "Origins of Paper Money in China," in Origins of Value: The Financial Innovations that Created Modern Capital Markets, ed. K. Geert Rouwenhorst and William N. Goetzmann ([[New York City|New York]]: [[Oxford University]] Press, 2005). </ref> Iron cash coins also started to be used in greater numbers, at first due to the lack of copper, but later even as more copper was found the production of iron cash coins remained cheaper and an abundance of iron made it more attractive for the government to produce, while several problems such as the fact that iron is harder to inscribe, and that iron corrodes faster ensured the continued production of copper cash coins.<ref>{{cite web|url= https://www.chinesecoins.com/song-dynasty-chinese-coins/|title=Song Dynasty Chinese Coins。|date=3 June 2014|accessdate=6 July 2017|work= Admin for Chinesecoins.com (Treasures & Investments)|language=en}}</ref> From the year 1180 until the end of the Song dynasty very few [[bronze]] coins were produced by the government as the preference went to iron, this was because bronze cash coins needed to have a specific typeface which was more intricate to produce.<ref name="Primaltrek-Ancient-Chinese-Coinage"/> == Qing dynasty == {{See also|Qing dynasty coinage}} [[File:Xian Feng Zhong Bao (咸豐重寶) - 10 Cash (Zhili Mint, Chengde branch), Iron - Scott Semans.jpg|thumb|right|An iron Xianfeng Zhongbao (咸豐重寶) cash coin of 10 ''wén''.]] During the second month of the year 1854 the government of the [[Qing dynasty]] supplemented the already debased [[Xianfeng coinage]] system with [[iron]] cash coins.<ref name="LondonSchoolOfEconomicsXunYan"/> The intrinsic value of iron cash coins was substantially lower than that of even the copper-alloy [[Zhiqian]] and [[Daqian]].<ref name="LondonSchoolOfEconomicsXunYan"/> The aim the government had with the introduction of iron cash coins was to provide small change for a market that highly demanded it, as the Chinese market was already flooded with large denomination cash coinage and the Zhiqian 1 ''[[Chinese cash (currency unit)|wén]]'' cash coins) by this point had become a rarity.<ref name="LondonSchoolOfEconomicsXunYan"/> The denominations of the newly introduced iron cash coins included 1 ''wén'', 5 ''wén'', and 10 ''wén''.<ref name="LondonSchoolOfEconomicsXunYan"/> The intrinsic value of the 1 ''wén'' iron cash coin represented a debasement of 70% compared to the copper-alloy 1 ''wén'' Zhiqian. The market price of iron in 1854 was 40 ''wén'' (in Zhiqian) per [[catty]].<ref name="LondonSchoolOfEconomicsXunYan"/> A catty of iron could be cast into 133 1 ''wén'' iron cash coins, or 66 5 ''wén'' iron cash coins (which would have a total nominal value of 330 ''wén''), or 53 10 ''wén'' iron cash coins (which would have a total nominal value of 530 ''wén'').<ref name="LondonSchoolOfEconomicsXunYan"/> Disregarding the cost of manufacturing the Chinese itself, a 1 ''wén'' iron cash coin indicated a debasement of 70%.<ref name="LondonSchoolOfEconomicsXunYan"/> Iron cash coins were easily produced with iron [[Scrap metal|scrap]], which on the market cost 15 ''wén'' per catty in 1854.<ref name="LondonSchoolOfEconomicsXunYan"/> While initially iron cash coins were mainly minted by the Ministry of Revenue mint and Ministry of Public Works mint in Beijing, afterwards the government of the Qing dynasty established a specific iron cash coins mint, known as the [[iron cash office]] (鐵錢局).<ref name="LondonSchoolOfEconomicsXunYan"/> The iron cash office also stored the iron cash coins.<ref name="LondonSchoolOfEconomicsXunYan"/> While the actual production numbers of iron cash coins remains unclear because of the limited entries about them in the records maintained by the Qing treasury, [[Peng Xinwei]] estimated, based on information he had gathered from Qing government memorials, that there had been an average annual production of 1,808,160 strings of iron cash coins between the year 1854 and 1855 and an annual production of 1,360,920 strings of iron cash coins during the years 1856 until 1859.<ref name="LondonSchoolOfEconomicsXunYan"/> In January of the year 1855 the province of [[Zhili]] started casting iron cash coins, a trial casting for a single year was to deliver 120,000 strings of standard cash coins to be brought to Beijing.{{Sfn|Hartill|2005|p=382}} This work was then carried out by one of the Chinese branch mints with 10 furnaces that was located just outside of the western suburbs of [[Baoding]] by the [[Lingyu Temple]] (靈雲宮).{{Sfn|Hartill|2005|p=382}} In May of the year 1857, the four existing copper furnaces of the main Zhili provincial mint in Baoding were altered to be iron cash coin furnaces and a new iron cash coin furnace added, while at the same time 10 new furnaces for the production of iron cash coins was added to the Zhili branch mint.{{Sfn|Hartill|2005|p=382}} The Zhili provincial mint had ceased the production of 10 ''wén'' iron cash coins in June 1857.{{Sfn|Hartill|2005|p=382}} Iron cash coin mints were also planned to be opened in the cities of [[Tianjin]], [[Zhengding County|Zhengding]], and [[Daming County|Daming]] for the production of 1 ''wén'' iron cash coins, but only Zhengding had established a mint for iron cash coins which had 10 furnaces in operation.{{Sfn|Hartill|2005|p=382}} In July of the year 1859 there were a total of 35 furnaces for the production of iron cash coins in the cities of Baoding and Zhengding and at that time around 1,000,000 strings of iron cash coins had been cast at both mints.{{Sfn|Hartill|2005|p=382}} Because the Chinese people weren't using iron cash coins it was reported that 30 furnaces in Zhengding (which presumably also includes the furnaces of the Zhili provincial branch mint) were to be closed.{{Sfn|Hartill|2005|p=382}} In November 1859, the remaining 5 iron cash coin furnaces situated in Baoding were also closed.{{Sfn|Hartill|2005|p=382}} The function of iron cash coins was similar to that of Daqian, as it was primarily used as a way to continue paying the salaries of bannermen and other government workers.<ref name="LondonSchoolOfEconomicsXunYan"/> According to Qing government memorials, large amounts of iron cash coins were used as a means to pay salaries between the years 1856 and 1857 due to a noted justification that "the Chinese public was craving for small change".<ref name="LondonSchoolOfEconomicsXunYan"/> By the year 1856 the iron 10 ''wén'' cash coins were so much depreciated that they were dropped out of general circulation.<ref name="LondonSchoolOfEconomicsXunYan"/> From this point onwards only iron 1 ''wén'' cash coins would remain in general circulation, however, it was common for shops to deny them as a form of payment and there was extensive counterfeiting of iron cash coins, which further lowered the public's trust in them.<ref name="LondonSchoolOfEconomicsXunYan"/> Only a single entry in the Qing government archive mentions them from this point, as it is stated that in the year 1856 the government of the Qing dynasty had 431,515.849 strings of iron cash coins deposited in the imperial treasury vault.<ref>"Copy of the Imperial Treasury Records ", ed. CASS Social research division ([[Beijing]]: 1930). 131 Selected Archive in Modern Chinese Monetary History, Vol. I., 277-8. 132.</ref><ref name="LondonSchoolOfEconomicsXunYan"/> This entry may be seen as supplementary evidence to suggest that copper-alloy cash coinage had almost completely disappeared in or before this year.<ref name="LondonSchoolOfEconomicsXunYan"/> Iron cash coins would soon became valueless and the coinage was ultimately suspended in the year 1859.<ref name="LondonSchoolOfEconomicsXunYan"/> == Hoards of iron cash coins == {{See also|List of coin hoards in China}} {| role="presentation" class="wikitable mw-collapsible mw-collapsed" | colspan=2 align="center" style="background:#efefef;" | '''List of hoards of iron cash coins''' |- ! Hoard !! Image |- | During the early 1970s a number of Yonglong Tongbao (永隆通寶) clay moulds ({{zh|first=t|t=錢陶範|s=钱陶范|hp=Qián táo fàn| links=yes}}) were uncovered at the [[Chengtian Temple (Quanzhou)|Chengtian Temple]] in [[Quanzhou]], [[Fujian]].<ref name="PrimaltrekChengtianTempleHoard">{{cite web|url= http://primaltrek.com/blog/2012/09/30/ancient-kingdom-of-min-coins-cast-in-quanzhou/|title=Ancient Kingdom of Min Coins Cast in Quanzhou.|date=30 September 2012|accessdate=6 April 2020|work= Gary Ashkenazy / גארי אשכנזי (Primaltrek – a journey through Chinese culture)|language=en}}</ref><ref name="FJSEN-Kingdom-of-Min-Clay-Mould-Hoard">{{cite web|url= http://qz.fjsen.com/2012-07/30/content_8943140.htm|title= 一千年前泉州有个"造币厂" 一个泥范只铸一枚铁币.|date=30 July 2012|accessdate=9 April 2020|author= 宋军营 来源：东南网 (我来说两句)|publisher= qz.fjsen.com|language=zh-cn}}</ref> The clay moulds date to the [[Min Kingdom|Kingdom of Min]] during the [[Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms period]] and all display the inscription Yonglong Tongbao.<ref name="PrimaltrekChengtianTempleHoard"/> The clay moulds were discovered by a group of [[Buddhist monk]]s digging in the courtyard in in order to bury jars of a local Quanzhou-based [[traditional Chinese medicine]] known as "[[golden juice]]" ({{zh|first=t|t= 金汁|hp= jīn zhī|links=no}}), the elixir is made by mixing together the excrements of young (preadolescent) boys, spring water and "red soil" ({{zh|first=t|t= 紅土|s=红土|hp= hóng tǔ|links=no}}).<ref name="PrimaltrekChengtianTempleHoard"/> After being prepared the solution is then stored inside a clay jar which is buried underground at a depth of approximately 3 meters.<ref name="PrimaltrekChengtianTempleHoard"/> The clay jars are then left underground for a period of between 30 and 40 years, after which they are dug back up.<ref name="PrimaltrekChengtianTempleHoard"/> "golden juice" as a form of "medicine" is taken orally and within traditional Chinese medicine it is considered to be particularly useful in the treatment of high [[fever]]s.<ref name="PrimaltrekChengtianTempleHoard"/> While the initial clay moulds were uncovered during the early 1970s, it wasn't until the year 2002 when archeologists would formally excavate the site looking for more coin moulds.<ref name="PrimaltrekChengtianTempleHoard"/> Yonglong Tongbao cash coins themselves today are very rare.<ref name="PrimaltrekChengtianTempleHoard"/> There are only two specimens of them known to exist in Chinese museums and perhaps only about 100 specimens of Yonglong Tongbao cash coins are known to be in the hands of private Chinese coin collectors.<ref name="PrimaltrekChengtianTempleHoard"/> Cash coins with this inscriptions were mostly made from iron, while an even smaller number of lead variants of them are known to exist.<ref name="PrimaltrekChengtianTempleHoard"/> The reason as to why Yonglong Tongbao cash coins are so scarce has to do with the short period of time they were cast, which was only 1 year and 7 months.<ref name="PrimaltrekChengtianTempleHoard"/> Furthermore they are even rarer because of the facts that iron suffers from oxidation and deteriorates, the limited area in which the Yonglong Tongbao cash coins had circulated, and their intricate method of production.<ref name="PrimaltrekChengtianTempleHoard"/> || |- | In July 1997 a large chunk of [[Tieqian|iron cash coins]] dating to the [[Song dynasty]], described as a "mountain" of ancient Chinese cash coins, were unearthed in a field near the city of [[Cangzhou]], [[Hebei]].<ref name="PrimaltrekCangzhouIronCashCoins">{{cite web|url= http://primaltrek.com/blog/2013/04/26/mystery-surrounding-100-tons-of-song-dynasty-iron-coins/|title= Mystery Surrounding 100 Tons of Song Dynasty Iron Coins.|date=26 April 2013|accessdate=6 April 2020|work= Gary Ashkenazy / גארי אשכנזי (Primaltrek – a journey through Chinese culture)|language=en}}</ref><ref name="China-Culture-Journal-Cangzhou-Tieqian-Hoard">{{cite web|url= http://nepaper.ccdy.cn/html/2013-04/04/content_94025.htm|title= 河北上百吨宋朝铁钱币之谜.|date=4 April 2013|accessdate=8 April 2020|work= China Culture Journal (中国文化报)|language=zh-cn}}</ref> The discovered cash coins were made of iron and they tended to be stuck together in very large and often heavy pieces.<ref name="PrimaltrekCangzhouIronCashCoins"/> The iron cash coins from the hoard are now displayed at the [[Tieqian Ku]] (铁钱库, "iron cash coins treasury") located in the city of Cangzhou.<ref name="PrimaltrekCangzhouIronCashCoins"/> || |- | In a report by the [[People's Daily]] dated May 20, 2000 another hoard of iron cash coins was found in a field near [[Cangzhou]], [[Hebei]], at the same location as in 1997.<ref name="People's-Daily-Cangzhou-Tieqian-Hoard">{{cite web|url= http://en.people.cn/english/200005/20/eng20000520_41261.html|title= China Unearths Mountain of Ancient Iron Coins.|date=20 May 2000|accessdate=8 April 2020|work= [[People's Daily]] ([[Central Committee of the Communist Party of China]]).|language=en}}</ref><ref name="PrimaltrekCangzhouIronCashCoins"/> The iron cash coins dated to the Northern Song dynasty period. The discovery was made by a local tourism department of Cangzhou city.<ref name="People's-Daily-Cangzhou-Tieqian-Hoard"/> The archeologists had initially dug up about 48 tonnes of iron cash coins,<ref name="People's-Daily-Cangzhou-Tieqian-Hoard"/> with the largest single chunk them weighing about 7 tonnes.<ref name="PrimaltrekCangzhouIronCashCoins"/> The hoard was a breakthrough because never before were any iron cash coins discovered in [[northern China]].<ref name="People's-Daily-Cangzhou-Tieqian-Hoard"/> Before this hoard, historians believed that iron cash coins were only used in regions where commerce flourished south of the [[Yangtze River]].<ref name="People's-Daily-Cangzhou-Tieqian-Hoard"/> The archaeologists also found out that the Northern Song iron cash coins at the site had not simply rusted together but displayed clear signs that they had been melted together.<ref name="PrimaltrekCangzhouIronCashCoins"/> Furthermore, at the site the archeologists also found some coin moulds and stoves that may suggest that a mint may have been located there in the past.<ref name="People's-Daily-Cangzhou-Tieqian-Hoard"/> However, some experts refuted this hypothesis because this area was part of a frontier region during the Song dynasty period and the Song government would in all likelihood not have built a coin mint in a remote border area like this.<ref name="PrimaltrekCangzhouIronCashCoins"/> Contemporary experts noted that this coin hoard would re-write China's history of coin production.<ref name="People's-Daily-Cangzhou-Tieqian-Hoard"/> Why such a large quantity of Song dynasty period iron cash coins were buried in the area near Cangzhou and why these iron coins had apparently been melted together in such large chunks remains a mystery.<ref name="PrimaltrekCangzhouIronCashCoins"/> According to Ms. Wang Yufang (王玉芳), the Director of the [[Cangzhou City Bureau of Cultural Relics]] (沧州市文物局), there are no historical documents dating to the Song dynasty that mention the existence of this iron cash coin cache.<ref name="PrimaltrekCangzhouIronCashCoins"/> The most plausible hypothesis as to why these iron cash coins were located in such large quantities and why they were (partially) melted together claims that iron cash coins were sent to the area by the government of the Song dynasty in order to pay for military expenses contending for control of the [[Sixteen Prefectures]] against the [[Jurchen]]s.<ref name="PrimaltrekCangzhouIronCashCoins"/><ref name="China-Culture-Journal-Cangzhou-Tieqian-Hoard"/> The Song army was eventually defeated during this campaign.<ref name="PrimaltrekCangzhouIronCashCoins"/><ref name="China-Culture-Journal-Cangzhou-Tieqian-Hoard"/> As they were forced to withdraw from the region, the Song army was faced with the prospect of having to transport such an enormous quantity of iron cash coins during their retreat.<ref name="PrimaltrekCangzhouIronCashCoins"/><ref name="China-Culture-Journal-Cangzhou-Tieqian-Hoard"/> Since the transport of the iron cash coins would have been difficult to achieve, and given the fact that it was necessary them to make a hasty retreat, it is hypothesised that a decision was made by the Song army to abandon the huge amounts of money in the area, and that they were partially melted down to prevent the iron cash coinage from falling into the hands of the advancing enemy soldiers.<ref name="PrimaltrekCangzhouIronCashCoins"/><ref name="China-Culture-Journal-Cangzhou-Tieqian-Hoard"/> The iron cash coins from the hoard are now displayed at the Tieqian Ku (铁钱库, "iron cash coins treasury") located in the city of Cangzhou.<ref name="PrimaltrekCangzhouIronCashCoins"/> || |- | In April of 2002 archeologists had begun a formal excavation at the [[Chengtian Temple (Quanzhou)|Chengtian Temple]] in [[Quanzhou]], [[Fujian]], where three decades earlier a number of [[Min Kingdom|Kingdom of Min]] period Yonglong Tongbao (永隆通寶) clay moulds had been uncovered.<ref name="PrimaltrekChengtianTempleHoard"/> At a depth of about 3 meters the archeologists had discovered over a thousand clay mould fragments at the location.<ref name="PrimaltrekChengtianTempleHoard"/> While it known that the Min Kingdom had a mint, its exact location was unknown, but due to the discovery of such a large number of clay mould fragments discovered at the Chengtian Temple confirms that the mint was located somewhere in present-day Quanzhou, making it only known mint location from the [[Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms period]] at the time.<ref name="PrimaltrekChengtianTempleHoard"/> The archaeologists considered this hoard to be particularly fortunate, as it is rare for such cultural objects made from clay to survive in climates that receive over 1200 millimeters of rain annually such as Quanzhou.<ref name="PrimaltrekChengtianTempleHoard"/> This fact is cited to be one of the important reasons as to why no other sites which cast cash coins using clay moulds have been discovered in the modern period this far into [[southern China]].<ref name="PrimaltrekChengtianTempleHoard"/> Iron was used to cast cash coins by the Min Kingdom in the area because the region where Quanzhou is situated had ample supplies of iron and [[coal]] but lacked any copper reserves.<ref name="PrimaltrekChengtianTempleHoard"/> As to why such a large quantity of clay moulds were discovered at the Chengtian Temple us because the casting method that was employed by the Min Kingdom at the time required a two-piece clay mould was made with a small hole in which the molten iron, with a temperature of at least 1535[[Degree Celsius|°C]], could be poured into them.<ref name="PrimaltrekChengtianTempleHoard"/> Once the iron had hardened, forming the cash coin, the clay mould had to be broken apart in order to take the cash coin out.<ref name="PrimaltrekChengtianTempleHoard"/> Each clay mould could was only capable to produce a single cash coin.<ref name="PrimaltrekChengtianTempleHoard"/> Furthermore, the archaeologists noted that while the casting technique for manufacturing cash coins had remained the same as it had in ancient times, the casting technology itself had evolved to the point where the Chinese character inscriptions displayed on the coinage could now be clearly cast.<ref name="PrimaltrekChengtianTempleHoard"/> || |- | It was reported on 21 July 2006 by [[China News]] that a Northern Song dynasty period site filled with cultural relics had been discovered during the construction of a building in [[Xinzhen Village]] [[Dongying]], [[Shandong]].<ref name="Kaogu-Yellow-River-Delta-Hoard-2006">{{cite web|url= http://kaogu.cssn.cn/ywb/news_history/history_new_discoveries/200607/t20060721_3910600.shtml|title= Rare Cultural Relics Discovered on the Yellow River Delta.|date=21 July 2006|accessdate=11 April 2020|author= Credited as "NetWriter".|publisher= [[Kaogu]] (考古) - [[Institute of Archaeology, Chinese Academy of Social Sciences|Institute of Archaeology]], [[Chinese Academy of Social Sciences]] (中国社会科学院考古研究所)|language=en}}</ref> Experts from [[Dongying Cultural Relics Bureau]] excavated the site and found 3 tonnes of iron cash coins as well as some copper-alloy coins.<ref name="Kaogu-Yellow-River-Delta-Hoard-2006"/> Further, the hoard included pottery head portraits of minority ethnic people, chinaware, and parts of ancient architecture.<ref name="Kaogu-Yellow-River-Delta-Hoard-2006"/> || |- | It was reported on 30 October 2018 by CQCB (重庆日报客户端) that a coin hoard of around 3,000 [[Southern Song dynasty coinage|Southern Song dynasty period cash coins]] had been discovered at a construction site along S434 in [[Tianba Village]], [[Guanba]] town, [[Qijiang District]], [[Chongqing]].<ref name="Chongqing-Hoard-2018-English">{{cite web|url= https://www.ichongqing.info/2018/11/05/wansheng-finds-3000-ancient-coins-from-the-southern-song-dynasty/|title= Wansheng Finds 3,000 Ancient Coins from the Southern Song Dynasty.|date=5 November 2018|accessdate=12 April 2020|author= Xinyi Li|publisher= ICHONGQING (Chongqing International Media Center)|language=en}}</ref><ref name="Chongqing-Hoard-2018-Mandarin-Chinese">{{cite web|url= https://www.cqcb.com/hot/2018-10-30/1194019.html|title= 万盛岩缝中发现三千枚古钱币，或为南宋铁钱.|date=30 October 2018|accessdate=12 April 2020|author= Long Danmei (龙丹梅) and Zhou Yaoyao (周瑶瑶)|publisher= CQCB (重庆日报客户端)|language=zh-cn}}</ref> The cash coins were initially discovered on 26 October 2018 after a few construction workers had noticed the presence of round coins with square centre holes mong the rocks they were clearing.<ref name="Chongqing-Hoard-2018-English"/><ref name="Chongqing-Hoard-2018-Mandarin-Chinese"/> Liao Xiaobo, the On-Site Principal of Highway Maintenance Station of Chongqing Traffic, noted that these cash coins were found over 20 meters in the ground.<ref name="Chongqing-Hoard-2018-English"/><ref name="Chongqing-Hoard-2018-Mandarin-Chinese"/> Archaeologists managed to dig up around 3,000 cash coins at the site.<ref name="Chongqing-Hoard-2018-English"/><ref name="Chongqing-Hoard-2018-Mandarin-Chinese"/> At the time of the report all the unearthed cash coins were made from iron.<ref name="Chongqing-Hoard-2018-English"/><ref name="Chongqing-Hoard-2018-Mandarin-Chinese"/> The archaeologists suspect that the coins were produced during the Southern Song dynasty period but suspect that they may have been produced earlier.<ref name="Chongqing-Hoard-2018-English"/><ref name="Chongqing-Hoard-2018-Mandarin-Chinese"/> Linghu Keqiang, the head of the Museum of Chongqing Wansheng Economic and Technological Development Zone, stated that the find would aid with research on immigrant culture to the area and the local socio-economic development of Wansheng as it reflected the economic development level of the area at the time.<ref name="Chongqing-Hoard-2018-English"/><ref name="Chongqing-Hoard-2018-Mandarin-Chinese"/> || |} == Iron cash coins museum == In the city of [[Cangzhou]] there is a [[museum]] dedicated to the iron cash coins produced during the [[Song dynasty]] period known as the [[Tieqian Ku]] ({{zh |first=t | t= 鐡錢庫 | s= 铁钱库 | hp= tiě qián kù| links=yes}}), which literally translates into [[English language|English]] as either the "iron cash coins treasury" or "iron cash coins mint".<ref name="PrimaltrekCangzhouIronCashCoins"/> == References == {{Reflist}} == Sources == * Hartill, David (September 22, 2005). ''Cast Chinese Coins''. [[Trafford]], [[United Kingdom]]: Trafford Publishing. {{ISBN|978-1412054669}}. * Hartill, David, ''Qing cash'', [[Royal Numismatic Society]] Special Publication 37, [[London]], 2003. * [[Peng Xinwei]] (彭信威) (1954 [2007]). ''Zhongguo huobi shi'' (中國貨幣史) ([[Shanghai]]: Qunlian chubanshe), 580-581, 597-605. (in [[Mandarin Chinese]]). * Peng Xinwei (彭信威) (1994) ''A monetary history of China'' (translated by Edward H. Kaplan). [[Western Washington University]] ([[Bellingham, Washington|Bellingham]], [[Washington (state)|Washington]]). {{Commonscat|Iron cash coins}} {{Chinese cash coin}} {{Chinese currency and coinage}} [[:Category:Coins of China]] [[:Category:Chinese numismatics]] [[:Category:Cash coins]] .

Standard reference templates[edit]

May 2020.
  • <ref name="">{{cite web|url= |title= .|date=|accessdate= May 2020|author= |publisher= |language=en}}</ref>
  • <ref name="Primaltrek">{{cite web|url= |title=.|date=16 November 2016|accessdate= May 2020|work= Gary Ashkenazy / גארי אשכנזי (Primaltrek – a journey through Chinese culture)|language=en}}</ref> No longer needed as I've imported THE ENTIRE WEBSITE, except for ancient Chinese piggy banks.
  • <ref name="Kaogu">{{cite web|url= |title= .|date=|accessdate=May 2020|author= Credited as "NetWriter".|publisher= [[Kaogu]] (考古) - [[Institute of Archaeology, Chinese Academy of Social Sciences|Institute of Archaeology]], [[Chinese Academy of Social Sciences]] (中国社会科学院考古研究所)|language=en}}</ref>
April 2020.
  • <ref name="">{{cite web|url= |title= .|date=|accessdate= April 2020|author= |publisher= |language=en}}</ref>
  • <ref name="Primaltrek">{{cite web|url= |title=.|date=16 November 2016|accessdate= April 2020|work= Gary Ashkenazy / גארי אשכנזי (Primaltrek – a journey through Chinese culture)|language=en}}</ref>
  • <ref name="Kaogu">{{cite web|url= |title= .|date=|accessdate=April 2020|author= Credited as "NetWriter".|publisher= [[Kaogu]] (考古) - [[Institute of Archaeology, Chinese Academy of Social Sciences|Institute of Archaeology]], [[Chinese Academy of Social Sciences]] (中国社会科学院考古研究所)|language=en}}</ref>
March 2020.
  • <ref name="">{{cite web|url= |title= .|date=|accessdate= March 2020|author= |publisher= |language=en}}</ref>
  • <ref name="Primaltrek">{{cite web|url= |title=.|date=16 November 2016|accessdate= March 2020|work= Gary Ashkenazy / גארי אשכנזי (Primaltrek – a journey through Chinese culture)|language=en}}</ref>
February 2020.
  • <ref name="">{{cite web|url= |title= .|date=|accessdate= February 2020|author= |publisher= |language=en}}</ref>
  • <ref name="Primaltrek">{{cite web|url= |title=.|date=16 November 2016|accessdate= February 2020|work= Gary Ashkenazy / גארי אשכנזי (Primaltrek – a journey through Chinese culture)|language=en}}</ref>
January 2020.
  • <ref name="">{{cite web|url= |title= .|date=|accessdate= January 2020|author= |publisher= |language=en}}</ref>
  • <ref name="Primaltrek">{{cite web|url= |title=.|date=16 November 2016|accessdate= January 2020|work= Gary Ashkenazy / גארי אשכנזי (Primaltrek – a journey through Chinese culture)|language=en}}</ref>
December 2019.
  • <ref name="">{{cite web|url= |title= .|date=|accessdate= December 2019|author= |publisher= |language=en}}</ref>
  • <ref name="Primaltrek">{{cite web|url= |title=.|date=16 November 2016|accessdate= December 2019|work= Gary Ashkenazy / גארי אשכנזי (Primaltrek – a journey through Chinese culture)|language=en}}</ref>

To use[edit]

  • <ref name="HoreshQing">{{cite web|url= https://link.springer.com/referenceworkentry/10.1007%2F978-981-10-0622-7_54-1|title= The Monetary System of China under the Qing Dynasty.|date=28 September 2018|accessdate=29 July 2019|author= [[Niv Horesh]]|publisher= [[Springer Nature|Springer Link]]|language=en}}</ref>
    • <ref name="HoreshQing"/>
  • <ref name="PrimalQing">{{cite web|url= http://primaltrek.com/chinesecoins.html#qing_dynasty_coins|title= Chinese coins – 中國錢幣 - Qing (Ch'ing) Dynasty (1644-1911)|date=16 November 2016|accessdate=30 June 2017|work= Gary Ashkenazy / גארי אשכנזי (Primaltrek – a journey through Chinese culture)|language=en}}</ref>
    • <ref name="PrimalQing"/>
  • <ref name="PrimaltrekKingOfQingDynastyCoins">{{cite web|url= http://primaltrek.com/blog/2013/01/08/the-king-of-qing-dynasty-coins/|title=The King of Qing Dynasty Coins.|date=8 January 2013|accessdate=8 January 2020|work= Gary Ashkenazy / גארי אשכנזי (Primaltrek – a journey through Chinese culture)|language=en}}</ref>
    • <ref name="PrimaltrekKingOfQingDynastyCoins"/>
  • <ref name="CambridgeInflation">{{cite web|url= https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/bulletin-of-the-school-of-oriental-and-african-studies/article/hsienfeng-inflation/54A8F1ADDC871CC18F4DCFA828730DEB|title= The Hsien-Fêng Inflation (Published online by Cambridge University Press: 24 December 2009).|date=October 1958|accessdate=28 July 2019|author= Jerome Ch'ên|publisher= [[SOAS University of London]]|language=en}}</ref>
    • <ref name="CambridgeInflation"/>
  • <ref name="Brill2015">[https://www.academia.edu/28400259/_Silver_Copper_Rice_and_Debt_Monetary_Policy_and_Office_Selling_in_China_during_the_Taiping_Rebellion_in_Money_in_Asia_1200_1900_Small_Currencies_in_Social_and_Political_Contexts_ed._by_Jane_Kate_Leonard_and_Ulrich_Theobald_Leiden_Brill_2015_343-395 “Silver, Copper, Rice, and Debt: Monetary Policy and Office Selling in China during the Taiping Rebellion,” in Money in Asia (1200–1900): Small Currencies in Social and Political Contexts, ed.] by Jane Kate Leonard and Ulrich Theobald, [[Leiden]]: Brill, 2015, 343-395.</ref>
    • <ref name="Brill2015"/>
  • <ref name="LondonSchoolOfEconomicsDebinMa">{{cite web|url= http://eprints.lse.ac.uk/41940/1/WP159.pdf|title= Money and Monetary System in China in the 19th-20th Century: An Overview. (Working Papers No. 159/12)|date=January 2012|accessdate=26 January 2020|author= Debin Ma|publisher= Department of Economic History, [[London School of Economics]]|language=en}}</ref>
    • <ref name="LondonSchoolOfEconomicsDebinMa"/>
  • <ref name="LondonSchoolOfEconomicsXunYan">{{cite web|url= http://etheses.lse.ac.uk/3307/1/Yan_In_Search_of_Power.pdf|title= In Search of Power and Credibility - Essays on Chinese Monetary History (1851-1845).|date=March 2015|accessdate=8 February 2020|author= Xun Yan|publisher= Department of Economic History, [[London School of Economics|London School of Economics and Political Science]]||language=en}}</ref>
    • <ref name="LondonSchoolOfEconomicsXunYan"/>

More sources to use[edit]

  • www.chinaknowledge.de/History/Song/song-econ.html http://www.chinaknowledge.de/History/Song/song-econ.html
  • <ref name=Chinaknowledge-Economy-of-the-Song-Dynasty>{{cite web|url= http://www.chinaknowledge.de/History/Song/song-econ.html|title= Chinese History - Song Period Economy.|date= 10 May 2016|accessdate=20 April 2010|work= 2000 ff. © Ulrich Theobald - [[Chinaknowledge|ChinaKnowledge.de]] - An Encyclopaedia on Chinese History, Literature and Art|language=en}}</ref>
  • http://www.calgarycoin.com/reference/china/china5.htm
    • <ref name="Calgary-Coin-Northern-Sung-Dynasty">{{cite web|url= http://www.calgarycoin.com/reference/china/china5.htm|title= Cast Chinese Coins - MEDIEVAL CHINESE COINS - THE NORTHERN SUNG DYNASTY.|date=1997|accessdate=20 April 2020|author= Robert Kokotailo|publisher= Calgary Coin & Antique Gallery|language=en}}</ref>

Redirects[edit]

  • #REDIRECT [[Tieqian]]
  1. Tie Qian.
  2. Tie-Qian.
  3. Tie-qian.
  4. 鐡錢.
  5. 铁钱.
  6. Tiě qián.
  7. Tiěqián.
  8. Tie-Ch'ien.
  9. Tie-ch'ien.
  10. Tie Ch'ien.
  11. Tiech'ien.
  12. Tie-Chien.
  13. Tiechien.
  14. Iron cash.
  15. Iron cash coin.
  16. Iron cash coins.
  17. Chinese Iron cash.
  18. Chinese Iron cash coin.
  19. Chinese Iron cash coins.
  20. Chinese iron cash.
  21. Chinese iron cash coin.
  22. Chinese iron cash coins.

Lars Bo Christensen expansion[edit]

  • http://chinesecoins.lyq.dk/othermaterials.html
    • <ref name="Lars-Bo-Christensen-Other-Materials">{{cite web|url= tp://chinesecoins.lyq.dk/othermaterials.html|title= Coins made of other materials than bronze.|date=2016|accessdate=21 April 2020|author= Lars Bo Christensen|publisher= Ancient Chinese Coins (Chinesecoins.lyq.dk)|language=en}}</ref>

"Cash (Chinese coin)" expansion[edit]

== Non-copper-alloy cash coins ==

During most of their history the cast cash coins of China were predominantly made from bronze or other copper-alloys such as brass.[1] However, other materials had at different times in Chinese history also been used for the manufacture of cash coins such as iron (see Tieqian), lead, silver, and gold.[1] While silver and gold were also used for other currencies in Chinese history, as it has in most other cultures around the world, but also cowry shells, clay, bone, jade, iron, lead, tin, and bamboo (see Bamboo tally) were also materials that have been used for money at various points in Chinese history.[1] Iron cash coins and lead cash coins were often used in cases when there was an insufficient supply of copper.[1] 2 iron cash coins were usually worth only a single bronze cash coin.[1] Because of oxidation, iron cash coins are rarely in very good condition today, especially if they were excavated.[1]

In some cases the usage of certain types of materials to produce cash coins are only more recently discovered due to the lack of historical records mentioning them.[1] For example, it has only been since more recent times that the fact that the Song dynasty had attempted to produce lead cash coins been discovered.[1] Because of this almost no Chinese coin catalogues list their existence while they have mentioned in works such as the Meng Guohua: Guilin Faxian Qian Xi Hejin Qian. Zhongguo Qianbi No. 3. 1994 (Vol. 46.) which deal with the topic. Lead cash coins have only been produced at a few times in the monetary history of china, mainly during the Five dynasties and Ten kingdoms period.[1] Because of how soft lead is, most lead cash coins that are found today tend to be very worn.[1]

Non-copper-alloy metals used by time period[edit]

This table includes is what is generally known to have been the case today, but as future archaeological research might probably reveal that other periods of Chinese history might used alternative materials to produce cash coins, at least in locally in some areas.[1]

Non-copper-alloy cash coins by time period
Metal used Period(s) Example image
Iron cash coins Han dynasty, Three Kingdoms period, Northern and Southern dynasties period, Five dynasties and Ten kingdoms period, Song dynasty, Jin dynasty (1115–1234), Western Xia dynasty, Ming dynasty, and Qing dynasty.
Lead cash coins Five dynasties and Ten kingdoms period, Northern Song dynasty, and Qing dynasty.
Clay cash coins Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms period
Gold cash coins Qin dynasty, Han dynasty, and Southern Song dynasty.
  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Lars Bo Christensen (2016). "Coins made of other materials than bronze". Ancient Chinese Coins (Chinesecoins.lyq.dk). Retrieved 22 April 2020. {{cite web}}: no-break space character in |title= at position 20 (help)
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=User:Donald_Trung/Iron_cash_coins_(鐡錢)&oldid=1176841809"