Recommended Boutique -- Tiansheng Yuanbao Coin

*本次藏品 天圣元宝

典藏尺寸：重量3.5g

中国的传统美学中，“对称”是很重要的一部分，对称本身有一种极为规整、和谐的感觉，而这种感觉，恰恰契合中国人“外圆内方”、“中庸之道”的追求。在学界，通常认为对子钱始于五代十国的南唐，真正意义上的流通，就是自“天圣元宝”发行以后。所谓对子钱，即在同一种古钱上，使用相同的钱文，却使用不同的书体，可以成双配对。无论是其字的结构、笔画还是肥瘦、厚薄等，都非常相似。这种别具一格的表现形式，在我国的货币发展史上，为货币审美价值这部分做了独特的补充。对子钱一共使用足有一百五十七年，中间基本没有什么间断，相比于五代南唐时短暂的流通历史，的确更具有稳定性。

我们可以透过这天圣元宝窥见整个宋朝的钱币文化以及那个时代的书法发展水平与特点。自中国历史发展到了宋朝，就进入到了商品经济空前繁荣的阶段，人民群众的文化生活多元而丰富，科学技术飞速发展。因为宋真宗时期的檀渊之盟，宋朝客观上处于一种相对安定、没有战事的状态，在这一个又一个因素的影响下，宋朝的货币铸造技术和制度已经臻于完备，已经形成了一套非常完整的体系。这些体系包含的内容很多，诸如铸钱的配料比例如何把握，铜钱质量应当达到何等程度，从前往后应该履行何种工序，都有着明确的规定。因此，真正意义上的对子钱出现在宋朝毫不奇怪。天圣元宝采用的对钱的形式，使用的是楷书和篆书两种字体。天圣元宝从铸造到完成，所用的时间只花了十年，这样短时期的铸造，加上朝代的不断更迭，以及弥漫硝烟的战火，都对天圣元宝造成了较大的冲击与伤害。但是现在能看到的天圣元宝，保存基本都是完整的，所以天圣元宝特别的珍贵。

In traditional Chinese aesthetics, "symmetry" is a very important part. Symmetry itself has a sense of extreme regularity, stability, and harmony, which precisely aligns with the Chinese people's pursuit of "the outer circle and the inner square" and "the golden mean". In the academic community, it is generally believed that pai zi qian began in the Southern Tang Dynasty of the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms, and its true circulation began after the issuance of the "Heavenly Saint Yuanbao". The so-called pairwise coins refer to the use of the same type of ancient coins with different script styles, which can be paired in pairs. Both the structure, strokes, and thickness of the characters are very similar. This unique form of expression has made a unique supplement to the aesthetic value of currency in the history of currency development in China. Paizi Qian has been used for a total of 157 years, with almost no interruptions between them. Compared to the brief circulation history during the Five Dynasties and Southern Tang dynasties, it is indeed more stable.

We can glimpse the coin culture of the entire Song Dynasty, as well as the level and characteristics of calligraphy development in that era, through this heavenly treasure. From the development of Chinese history to the Song Dynasty, it entered a stage of unprecedented prosperity in the commodity economy. The cultural life of the people was diverse and rich, and science and technology developed rapidly. Due to the Tanyuan Alliance during the reign of Emperor Zhenzong of Song, the Song Dynasty was objectively in a relatively stable and war free state. Under the influence of one factor after another, the coinage technology and system of the Song Dynasty have reached perfection, forming a very complete system. These systems contain a lot of content, such as how to control the proportion of ingredients for casting coins, what level of copper coin quality should be achieved, and what processes should be performed from beginning to end, all of which have clear regulations. Therefore, it is not surprising that the true meaning of pai zi qian appeared in the Song Dynasty. The time from casting to completion of the Tiansheng Yuanbao was only ten years. This short period of casting, coupled with the continuous changes of dynasties and the smoke of war, caused significant impact and damage to the Tiansheng Yuanbao. But most of the heavenly holy treasures that can be seen now are preserved intact, so the heavenly holy treasures are particularly precious.

*本次藏品钱币正面

典藏尺寸：重量3.5g

近期我公司征集到一枚天圣元宝，重量3.5g，虽然经历了历史的洗涤，但是外表和包浆和普通钱币相比更为完整，这也体现出了宋朝制作工艺的高超和当时手工业的水平，对于研究整个宋朝的经济都有非常重要的借鉴意义和价值。从上图就能发现，钱文“天圣元宝”四字其实并非是由一种书法写就的面文，它是由篆书和真书（也就是楷书）刻就的，它们的出现也奠定了宋朝对钱的历史。天圣元宝是典型的圆形方孔钱，“天圣元宝”四个字从上顺时针旋转依次排列，采取旋读的方式，这也体现了中国古代天圆地方的思想。

Recently, our company has collected a Heavenly Holy Treasure, with a weight of 3.5g. Although it has undergone historical washing, its appearance and wrapping are more complete compared to ordinary coins, which also reflects the superb craftsmanship of the Song Dynasty and the level of handicraft industry at that time. It has very important reference significance and value for studying the economy of the entire Song Dynasty. From the above figure, it can be seen that the four characters "Tian Sheng Yuan Bao" in Qian Wen were not actually written in a type of calligraphy, but were carved in seal script and genuine script (also known as regular script). Their appearance also laid the foundation for the history of the Song Dynasty's understanding of money. The Tian Sheng Yuan Bao is a typical round square hole coin, with the four characters "Tian Sheng Yuan Bao" arranged in a clockwise rotation from top to top, adopting a rotary reading method, which also reflects the ancient Chinese idea of a round sky and a round place.

*本次藏品钱币背面

典藏尺寸：重量3.5g

天圣元宝的制作过程十分的复杂，自始至终采用的都是浇铸工艺，这要求不仅仅要有丰富的自然资源，还要有一定的科学知识储备，适合的温度和湿度，才能达到天圣元宝的制作要求。宋朝的工匠发现，红铜与锡、铅等金属熔融在一起，就能克服纯铜溶液粘稠、流动性差、质地不如石器坚硬的缺点，炼制出一种青灰色的合金，这就是青铜。青铜有熔点低，易于铸造，硬度大，融化后流动性好，少气泡等优点，适于铸造锋利的刀刃和细密的纹饰，所以大多数的宋朝钱币都是使用青铜而制作完成的，天圣元宝也是如此。

天圣元宝在中国古代钱币发展历史上虽然只占据了很小一个部分，但是它对中国古代经济的发展和见证作用是无法替代的，元宝不仅仅是中国人物物交换的象征，更是中国人对于金钱观的看法和理解，从天圣元宝背后我们也能看到中国文化的影子和内涵，这就是中国古代钱币的魅力，也是天圣元宝的价值所在。

The production process of Tiansheng Yuanbao is very complex, and the casting process is used throughout. This requires not only abundant natural resources, but also a certain amount of scientific knowledge reserves, suitable temperature and humidity, in order to meet the production requirements of Tiansheng Yuanbao. Craftsmen in the Song Dynasty discovered that by melting red copper with metals such as tin and lead, they could overcome the shortcomings of thick, poor fluidity, and less hard texture of pure copper solution compared to stone tools, and refine a blue-gray alloy called bronze. Bronze has the advantages of low melting point, easy casting, high hardness, good fluidity after melting, and few bubbles, making it suitable for casting sharp blades and fine decorative patterns. Therefore, most Song Dynasty coins were made using bronze, and the same is true of the Heavenly Holy Treasure.

Although the Tiansheng Yuanbao only occupies a small part of the development history of ancient Chinese coins, its role in the development and witnessing of ancient Chinese economy cannot be replaced. Yuanbao is not only a symbol of the exchange of goods between Chinese characters, but also a Chinese view and understanding of money. From behind the Tiansheng Yuanbao, we can also see the shadow and connotation of Chinese culture, which is the charm of ancient Chinese coins, It is also the value of the Heavenly Holy Treasure.

以上藏品相关信息请与：四川君再来拍卖集团有限公司联系。 

Please contact Sichuan Junzailai Auction Group Co., LTD for information about the above collections.