As an emperor, Huizong Zhao Ji of the Northern Song Dynasty was indifferent to politics and listened to traitors. He appointed Cai Jing, Tong Guan and other traitors to preside over the government. Huizong of the Song Dynasty believed in Taoism, built a large number of temples, and called himself the Taoist Lord and Emperor. In addition, he also plundered people's wealth and was extravagant. In the end, the national treasury was empty. When the Jin soldiers went south, the Northern Song Dynasty had almost no resistance. He himself was captured and died in a foreign land.
But on the other hand, Huizong made important contributions in the fields of culture and art. In the innovation of currency culture, he also practiced it and spared no effort. People often say that there are three difficulties in using calligraphy: it is difficult to carve seals, it is difficult to write plaques, and it is difficult to make coins. These three difficulties are relatively easy for Chinese square seals and plaques, but it is much more difficult to cast characters on round coins. However, Zhao Ji, Emperor Huizong of the Song Dynasty, "because of the rare coincidence", used his own "thin gold calligraphy" to the fullest in the small size of coins, thereby pushing the art of calligraphy to its peak. Zhao Ji's calligraphy was first learned from Huang Tingjian, Xue Ji and Chu Suiliang. Later, it became its own calligraphy, which is called "thin gold style". The iron strokes and silver hooks are thin and elegant, with unique charm, which is a masterpiece.
The Qian Wen he wrote is unique, and his handwriting can be seen at a glance, which fully demonstrates his artistic personality and beauty in calligraphy. In terms of coin production, four thin gold inscriptions are arranged on the square-hole round coins, with a narrow edge instead of a wide edge. The money inscriptions and the thin lines match very appropriately and harmoniously. And these Qian Wenwen are thin and straight, with dots in horizontal strokes and hooks in firm strokes. They are like daggers and pressed like knives. They are strong and powerful, free and easy. In addition, the exquisite workmanship of deep outlines and fine flesh makes them even more beautiful. He looked bold and handsome, and his bearing was extraordinary. In particular, the four characters "Daguan Tongbao" are both simple and complex, and it is not easy to handle them properly on round coins, but he can arrange and configure them just right, which is pleasing to the eye.
The Daguan Tongbao coin is a representative work of Huizong's calligraphy art. Among them, the running script Daguan Xiaoping Iron Mother Thin Gold Body is uniquely named Daguan. Both types of money are rare. Daguan Tongbao coins were minted during the Daguan period of Huizong. It is said that at the end of the fifth year of Chongning (1106 AD), someone suddenly discovered a comet flashing past while observing the stars at night. The sixth year of Chongning (1107 AD) was changed to the first year of Daguan, and money was minted again.
The running script Daguan Xiaoping iron coin was once found in Shaanxi. The quantity is not large, and the iron mother is even rarer. This kind of running script grand view is a different kind of thin gold grand view money. Although the money writing is not as strong as thin gold, it is elegant, free and unusually beautiful, and it is Huizong's handwriting. The special type of thin gold grand view is more than 6 centimeters in diameter, which is beyond the ordinary production. It can be called the "King of Song Dynasty money". The four thin gold calligraphy scripts, with iron painted silver hooks, shine brightly, especially showing the beauty of the thin gold calligraphy.
Chongning is the second reign name of Song Huizong Zhao Ji, which means inheriting the Shenzong's Changfa Xining. Chongning money is the year-name money cast during the Chongning period of Emperor Huizong of the Song Dynasty, including "Chongning Yuanbao", "Chongning Tongbao" and "Chongning Chongbao". Legend has it that "Chongning Chongbao" was written by the traitor Cai Jing. People say that Huizong's imperial book was written by Emperor Huizong. Cai Jing, whose courtesy name was Yuan Chang, was born in Xianyou, Xinghua (now part of Fujian). He fell into trouble and rose up again and again, and was called "the leader of the six thieves". Cai Jing combed the world, attacked dissidents, framed Zhongliang, and suppressed rebellious peasants. His evil deeds were notorious and notorious. Cai Jing has a bad character, but his calligraphy is good. Some people commented that his calligraphy is "beautiful, profound in skill, rigorous, broad and bold". Zhao Ji loved his calligraphy, so he asked Cai Jing to write "Chongning Chongbao" Qianwen. However, Cai Jing did not take Zhao Ji seriously and deliberately put the word "Chong" from the beginning of the word "山" on the side of the mountain. The word "Ning" (the traditional Chinese character "Ning" consists of four characters: 倀, 心, 耀, and 丁) remove the heart in the center. At that time, some people commented that this was Cai Jing's "intention to break the clan, but not to protect the country." It is still a mystery whether Cai Jing intended to "break the sect" and "disrupt the country". The money inscription "Chongning Chongbao" written by Cai Jing is a tin coin (that is, a copper coin with a large amount of lead and tin added to it). Historical data records: "Cai Jing is the master of tin coins, and his method is to fold one tin coin into two copper coins." According to this calculation, half of the wealth in people's hands was robbed. The common people did not approve of it and boycotted it. Cai Jing became so angry that he ordered those who refused to use tin clamps to "listen to others' opinions and punish them according to law."
The result of the forced implementation of tin money was that people's hearts were floating and the purchasing power of money was reduced. In the end, the people were forced to rise up and the Fangla and Songjiang uprisings broke out, which dealt a heavy blow to the Northern Song Dynasty regime. "Oriental Knowledge Record" records:
Tools: paper (cicada wing flower or other thin raw rice paper is also acceptable).
Ink (all kinds of ink can be too thick, you can add water, solid ink can also be used).
To expand the bag (take a piece of sponge according to the size of the bag to be made, roll it into a round shape and wrap it with household plastic wrap, then wrap it with a layer of cloth, and finally wrap it with a layer of very fine silk cloth and use a rubber band Wrap the bag with adjustable elasticity).
Water (a bean-sized amount of alum to prevent the ink from smearing, a few drops of glue to increase the adhesion of the ink, 250 grams of water, 30 grams of salt to prevent fiber shrinkage and deformation of the paper after long-term storage, stir evenly and place a sheet on the water Raw rice paper acts as a filter, using the water seeping out of the paper surface).
Brown brush (for pressing and rubbing paper).
Pressing plate (paper clips and plastic plates twisted into different diameters).
Backing plate (to prevent movement of coins and action and reaction forces. Use soft rubber pads or books).
A ruler (pressing paper)
Written brush (soaked in water)
Production:
1. Place a small piece of raw rice paper on the backing board, wet the coins and put it on it without moving it.
2. Use a brush to dip an appropriate amount of water into the paper and draw it on the coin. Choose a piece of paper of suitable size, which should be even and free of impurities, and cover it on the coin. Press the platen up.
3. Use raw rice paper to cover the rubbing paper to absorb the excess water, then cover the rubbing paper with raw rice paper and use a brown brush to press gently from the center of the coin outwards, and finally cover it with plastic wrap Mark it again on the coin (the effect is that the plastic wrap is thinner and the words can be marked more clearly). At this time, press the ballast ruler to fix it. Why not press the ballast ruler at the beginning because the rubbing paper will be straightened by pressing it at the beginning. It will be easily broken by hitting it with a brown brush.
4. Put the ink into the inkstone and do not put it too thickly. Use the rubbing bag to dip it evenly. Use the rubbing bag to hammer the rice paper to suck out the excess ink. This depends on how dry the rubbing paper is. Turn it slightly white (a key step in a rubbing), use the rubbing to gently hammer it outward from the money to make it clear and the ink color should be light and even (the first pass is the most critical). You can then apply ink multiple times until you are satisfied, but in the end you must ink the coin's inner ring again so that the outline is clear and three-dimensional. "Oriental Knowledge" records:
In addition to fire smelting, there is also the "gall water copper smelting method" (that is, wet copper smelting). This copper smelting method uses metallic iron to replace copper from a compound solution containing copper elements, then scrapes the copper off, and then cooks it to obtain copper ingots. The so-called "gall water" refers to natural spring water containing copper sulfate (commonly known as stone gallstone, gall vitriol, and blue vitriol in my country). It is formed because natural copper sulfide ore is weathered and oxidized, and part of it will generate soluble copper sulfate. After being soaked and washed by groundwater and rainwater, it will dissolve and flow into the spring water. As long as the copper concentration is high enough, this bile water can be used as a raw material for hydrometallurgical copper smelting.
As early as the Han Dynasty, our ancestors had noticed the phenomenon that metallic iron could replace copper. For example, in the ancient book "Huainan Wanbi Shu" of the Western Han Dynasty, there is a record that "Zeng Qing (copper carbonate mineral) obtains iron, and then [iron] turns into copper." "Shen Nong's Materia Medica" written in the Eastern Han Dynasty has a saying that "stone gall can turn iron into copper." Ge Hong, an alchemist in the Eastern Jin Dynasty, made it more clear in his "Baopuzi Neipian": "Use Zeng Qing to coat iron, and the iron will be as red as copper... but it will change on the outside but not on the inside." But at that time, most people People do not have a precise understanding of this phenomenon, and mistakenly believe that iron is converted into copper when it comes into contact with Zeng Qing and stone gallbladder. In the Tang Dynasty, some alchemists engaged in alchemy activities took advantage of this chemical change to heat and smelt gallstone water and mercury in a large iron pot. The displaced copper and mercury formed an amalgam. Then, they heated the copper amalgam, which looked like sand grains, to evaporate the mercury and obtained red copper powder. They nicknamed it "red silver" and were very proud of themselves, thinking that they had really achieved the transformation of iron into copper. This "unique skill" was recorded in "Dragon and Tiger Returning Pill Jue" written by the alchemist Jin Lingzi in the late Tang Dynasty.
About the Five Dynasties, "copper smelting with bold water" officially became a practical method of producing copper. By the Song Dynasty, this craft had developed to a large scale.
According to "Song Huiyao·Shihuo Chapter", there were 11 areas where copper was smelted with bile water during the Huizong period of the Northern Song Dynasty, including Shaozhou Censhui (in Guangdong), Xinzhou Qianshan (in Jiangxi), Raozhou Dexing (also known as In Jiangxi) three places are larger in scale. In the second year of Chongning (AD 1103), the total national copper output reached 1,874,427 jins, accounting for about 12% of the copper output at that time. After the Zhao and Song dynasties settled in the south of the Yangtze River, the copper production in the 14 states south of the Yangtze River dropped sharply. However, during the Qiandao period, the copper production was still 210,000 kilograms, accounting for 80% of the total copper production in the Southern Song Dynasty. Therefore, people in the Song Dynasty attached great importance to the production of copper gallbladder. Zhang Jia, a man from the Southern Song Dynasty, wrote a book "Essentials of Copper Leaching", which recorded the production situation of gallbladder copper at that time. Regarding the specific operation of leaching copper from bile, "History of Song Dynasty·Shihuo Zhi" records: Cut the pig iron into thin slices, discharge it into a tank containing bile water, soak it for a few days, and then scrape out the precipitated muddy copper (called (called "red coal") and put into the furnace for refining. The efficiency at that time was that for every two pounds or four ounces of iron used, one pound of copper could be obtained. The technical level was quite high. In addition, at that time, there was also the "copper pouring method" that used gall soil to fry copper. The basic principle was the same as the "gallbladder water method". This method had "more work and less profit", but "the soil is infinite. If compared with mined copper, The benefits are huge", so it has been widely used. Master Zhuying's book "The Decameron of the Bamboo Room" records (slightly deleted):
1. Look at the copper quality
Most of the ancient coins in my country were cast in the form of copper alloys , so the composition of the alloy is different, and the coins also show different colors. The copper quality of coins in different eras is different, and due to different ancient smelting techniques, the ancient coins minted in various regions are also different, and each dynasty has its own characteristics. Generally speaking, coins made of copper-zinc alloy are yellow, and coins made of copper-tin alloy are cyan. During the Qing Dynasty and the Republic of China, money was cast in Xinjiang, Tibet and other places. Copper was added with a little zinc and lead. After casting, the money body turned red.
The coins in the Pre-Qin Dynasty were mainly made of bronze (copper-tin alloy). The copper was bluish red and had a stiff texture. Most coins from the Han Dynasty to the Tang and Song Dynasties were made of bronze, which has the characteristics of It is copper color, bluish white with a hint of reddish. The five-baht coins of the Sui Dynasty were called white coins because they contained a large amount of tin and the copper was white. Kaiyuan Tongbao of the Tang Dynasty and various coins of the Song Dynasty were mainly made of bronze, white copper, and red copper. After the Jiajing period of the Ming Dynasty, the transition to brass began. By the Tianqi period, brass coins became custom-made. The color of the coins has changed significantly compared with before. It can be seen that there are rules to follow in the casting of ancient coins in my country.
2. Observe the rust color
There are no more than two types of coins seen today: one is excavated and the other is handed down. The excavated objects had been buried underground for many years, and their surfaces were covered with patina. The handed down products also have a layer of patina on the surface due to oxidation in the air. Available in black or bronze color.
Copper is a relatively stable metal and does not rust easily at room temperature. It takes decades, even hundreds of years, to generate copper oxide, basic copper carbonate, etc. Due to the different sizes of the particles formed, copper oxide shows different colors such as yellow, orange-red, bright red, dark brown, etc. It is commonly known as "jujube skin red", "chestnut shell", "black paint", etc.
The rust color on the surface of the unearthed coins is deeply stained into the inside of the coins. Because of its stable and compact molecular structure, the real rust is very difficult to wipe off. This is not the case with counterfeit rust. Most of the counterfeit rust is on the surface of the coin, which is called "floating rust" or "powder rust". It is relatively frivolous and easy to fall off. The fake rust is often boiled in alkaline water and becomes vulnerable. As for the products handed down from generation to generation, the authentic ones handed down from generation to generation are black and smooth, while the fake ones are floating and shiny.
The formation of green rust differs between the north and the south, and the degree of oxidation in acidic geological zones is correspondingly more severe. The north is dry and there is little rain, so the rust color is hard. The south is rainy and humid, and the oxide layer is loose and mostly blue and green. For example, the coins of the Southern Song Dynasty were issued in the south and were mostly unearthed in the south. Due to the influence of the geographical environment, the coins are generally blue-green. If light green rust is found, there is something wrong with the money. If the area where the soil is buried is hot and dry, the copper rust will turn reddish purple, but this rust color will not exist alone on the money body, but will be mixed with green rust, which is called "erythema green rust". If the money is found to be red and rusty, it should be fake money. The counterfeiter put the counterfeit money in a furnace and burned it red. This kind of imitation rust is superficial, and a discerning person will know it is fake at a glance.
3. Look at the coin inscriptions
A major feature of my country's metal coins is the inscriptions. It can be said that the fonts of each coin have their own characteristics, and the coin inscriptions of different eras , have different writing styles. Based on these characteristics, it can be tested whether it is a coin of the same era. In addition, while paying attention to the characteristics of various inscriptions, we can also find out the evolution process and changes of the inscriptions. These rules and characteristics can be used as a basis for identifying the authenticity of ancient coins.
In the pre-Qin period, the characters on metal coins such as knives, cloth, and round coins were written in large seal scripts. During the Qin and Han Dynasties, the style of inscriptions fell into the category of small seal scripts, such as Ban Liang and Wu Baht, but it already had the Han Li style, among which Mang Qian was a hanging needle seal script. The calligraphy styles of the Wei, Jin, Southern and Northern Dynasties are complex. The coins of the Tang Dynasty were written in eight-point official script. Official script became popular after the Tang Dynasty. In the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms, there were mainly three types: Zhen, Zhuan and Li. The coins of the Northern Song Dynasty were divided into seal script, Li script, Zhen script, Xing script and Cao script. From Guangzong Shaoxi of the Southern Song Dynasty to the Yuan, Ming, and Qing dynasties, inscriptions were mainly in regular script (real script), with occasional seal script and official script styles. Because our country is a multi-ethnic country, the coin inscriptions include Mongolian (Basiba), Manchu, Hui, Dangxiang (Xixia), Khitan and other ethnic minority languages.
To identify whether a coin's calligraphy is correct or not, the first step is to see whether it conforms to the characteristics of the time; the second step is to see whether it conforms to the characteristics of this variety. For example: Although the "Yihua" round coin is a large seal script of the pre-Qin Dynasty, it also has the characteristics of the Qi script, which is different from the round coin characters of other countries at the same time; it is found that there are round coins from the Eastern Zhou Dynasty and the Western Zhou Dynasty. If the round coin script is written in small seal script , is obviously a fake; Qin Banliang is quite famous among ancient coins. Its money is thick and thick, with excellent copper quality. The money text is raised and majestic. The word "人" in the word "Liang" in Banliang is towering. If you find money If the writing is flat, you can tell it is a fake at a glance; if you see errors in the Manchu writing on Baoyuan or Baoquan Bureau coins of the Qing Dynasty, you should consider that Baoquan and Baoyuan Bureau are national-level, In the most formal coin minting bureau, there will never be any errors in Manchu writing, so the coins you see must be fakes.
4. Listen to the sound
Due to the texture of ancient coins, the older they are, the more anger they have lost, the more serious the oxidation, and the duller the sound when thrown on the cement floor. Generally speaking, the knives, cloth, and round coins of the pre-Qin period are all mute. Coins made after the Ming Dynasty are relatively recent and have not yet been deeply oxidized, so their sounds are crisper and louder. If we throw a pre-Qin coin on the ground and hear a crisp sound, then the coin is not reliable; conversely, if a Ming and Qing coin makes a mute sound when thrown on the ground, we must be suspicious.
5. Understand the casting methods
The casting of ancient Chinese coins probably went through several processes such as sub-fan (earth, stone, copper), mother-fan (brick, copper), and foundry. development stage. Whether it is real money or counterfeit, various casting methods will leave corresponding marks on the coins. These traces are a strong basis for us to identify the authenticity of coins today.
6. Smell the smell
This method is the simplest method of identifying ancient coins. Because counterfeit coins are mostly forged and decorated with chemical substances, they often emit an unpleasant and pungent chemical smell, while genuine coins do not have this smell.
7. Observe the version
The most important way to identify ancient coins from the version is that in addition to reading more money records, you must have more contact with real objects to familiarize yourself with the characteristics of each dynasty. The coin is authentic. Pay attention not only to rare items, but also to a large number of common varieties. Because these ordinary products are rarely counterfeit and can truly reflect the characteristics of coins in various historical periods. For example, during the Warring States Period, the shape of the knife cloth was special, so counterfeiters had to use genuine sand to make fakes. The flaws were that the sand-cast coins were smaller and thicker, with superficial characters, rough copper, incorrect rust color and easy to fall off. Moreover, when the knife coins are minted, the gate is on the knife ring, and the gate on the cloth coins is at the first end. After they are cast, they are basically not trimmed and remain in their natural state. However, counterfeiters often grind the edges of knife coins and cloth coins for the sake of beautiful appearance. Smooth, in fact, it is superfluous and reveals flaws. Another example is the Huichang Kaiyuan, because the reverse side of the coin cast by the Yangzhou Bureau is "Chang". If one is found to have the word "Yang" on the back, whether it is handed down from ancient times or unearthed, it should be regarded as a fake. Because the coins of the Northern Song Dynasty and Xianfeng of the Qing Dynasty are the most complex, they are also the objects of imitation by counterfeiters. We should analyze their shapes more and understand their characteristics to prevent being deceived.
"Oriental Knowledge Record" records the production method:
1. Yinzifan coin casting method, with clay pottery Zifan as the mainstream Zifan coinage. Mud Zizifan is made by carving coin-shaped money inscriptions on thin pieces of clay. After drying in the shade and baking it into pottery, copper liquid is poured directly into the money to cast the money. This kind of money mold is very weak and can only be used once or twice. It will break after use. If it is recast, it still needs to be made again.
2． Yang Wenmu Fan is the coinage method. Yang Wenmu Fan is called Fan Mu on the coins. Fan Mu is used to copy Zi Fan and cannot directly cast money. This kind of pattern mother can be used to print many sub-fans. By stacking dozens of sub-fans together, hundreds of coins can be minted at one time. On the coins cast by Yang Wenmu Fan, the edges and corners of the writing strokes on the money surface have been rounded and not particularly sharp. The body of the money is not that smooth, but there are no traces of tiny sand grains. If there are "sand holes", it must be a counterfeit coin that has been sanded and forged.
3. The mother coin recasting method has very strict requirements for coining. Whenever a new coin is minted, a sample of the coin must be made and submitted to the emperor for approval. The most typical process of making money is as follows: ivory, fine carving of money sample, copper carving of ancestral money, initial casting of mother's money, stamping of mother's money, introduction of sample money. The procedure of the Foreign Finance Bureau is: first mint the mother money (sample money issued by the ministry), print the mother money and submit the sample money. A large number of coins recast with mother's money are regular and exquisite, and there are many coins of the same edition. However, the money is decent, the back is straight and has no blisters, and the text is beautiful.
4. Mud drying mold and cooked casting method. This method is to cast the money shape and money text on the clay mold, and then treat it at high temperature. This can not only have a barren effect, but also reduce the plasticity of the batch material and reduce its shrinkage, which is called "sludge settling". Then the early wrought iron smelting method was used, using the function of a small reverberatory furnace to melt copper and refine it directly on the clay mold, and add zinc, lead, tin, etc., and then through cooling, the impurities of the crude copper and crude alloy were precipitated, After cooling or heating in this way for many times, the coins produced have fine edges, smooth surfaces, and excellent copper quality, which is incomparable to sand-cast coins.