china-southern-song-dynasty-1201-1204-ad-jia-tai-era-potentially-1203-ad-if-3-on-reverse-indicates-the-year-item
Denomination2 Cash
Country / EmpireChina (Southern Song Dynasty)
Obverse DesignFour Chinese characters 嘉泰通寶 (Jia Tai Tong Bao) read top-bottom-right-left, with a square hole in the center.
Reverse DesignChinese characters 漢 (Han) and 三 (San) on the reverse, with a square hole in the center.
Historical Context
Issued during the Jia Tai era (1201-1204 AD) of Emperor Ningzong of the Southern Song Dynasty. Iron coins were commonly issued in specific regions, often due to copper shortages, particularly in the Sichuan and Shaanxi areas. The 'Han' mint mark likely refers to the Hanzhong mint, a significant iron coin production center. The '3' on the reverse could indicate the third year of the era (1203 AD) or a furnace/batch number. This coin is a higher denomination iron cash coin.
