Standalone Korea Coin Encyclopedia
Authenticating Sangpyeong Tongbo
Authentication compares casting fabric, patina behavior, character form, seams, file marks, weight, and provenance without guaranteeing authenticity from photographs.
상평통보 · 常平通寶
- Value classes
- 4
- Initial offices modeled
- 7
- Series dates
- 1678–1894
- Publication
- Published
Layered identity
Do not collapse series, office, furnace, and variety
Sangpyeong Tongbo (상평통보; 常平通寶) is identified through multiple linked fields. A reverse character alone is not a complete attribution.
Value classes
Declared value is not a universal physical standard
Weights shown from institutional examples retain their qualifiers. Missing measurements remain unavailable.
| Class | Korean / Hanja | Nominal mun | Dates | Weight evidence |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dangiljeon / one mun | 당일전 · 當一錢 | 1 | 1678–present | 4.5 g — one early institutional example; not a universal series standard |
| Dangijeon / two mun | 당이전 · 當二錢 | 2 | 1679–present | 8.4 g — one early institutional example; later pieces vary |
| Dangojeon / five mun | 당오전 · 當五錢 | 5 | 1883–present | measurement register incomplete |
| Dangbaekjeon / one hundred mun | 당백전 · 當百錢 | 100 | 1866–1868 | object measurements vary; no universal weight asserted |
Marks and letterforms
Describe first; attribute only with evidence
Value marks, office characters, sequence systems, numerals, symbols, and calligraphy may overlap. No single feature silently becomes a furnace identity.
| Mark category | Name | Position | Interpretation |
|---|---|---|---|
| office | Issuing-office character | upper or principal reverse field | May identify an office, but placement and series context must be checked. |
| value | Declared value mark | reverse | Examples include 當二, 當五, and 當百; value does not identify a furnace. |
| sequence-or-production | Thousand Character Classic mark | reverse | A production-sequence or subordination system in specific contexts; attribution is not universal. |
| number-or-symbol | Numeral, circle, bar, or symbol | reverse | Recorded descriptively until office and casting attribution are supported. |
| Calligraphy family | Korean | Definition |
|---|---|---|
| Regular-script family | 해서체 계열 | Broad visual family only; not an automatic date or office attribution. |
| Slender-stroke family | 세획 계열 | Collector-facing descriptive group pending stable institutional terminology. |
| Broad-stroke family | 광획 계열 | Descriptive morphology; die, mother coin, and casting variation can overlap. |
Practical method
Authenticating Sangpyeong Tongbo
Use multiple independent observations and retain the limits of a remote catalog page.
Fabric
Compare metal, weight, thickness, rims, hole, and casting texture with verified objects.
Characters
Check complete character structure before using a collector calligraphy label.
Limits
Photographs cannot establish metal, internal casting structure, or provenance on their own.
Open conflicts
Specialist disagreement remains visible
Public wording follows the resolution field; unresolved claims continue to block thin issue routes.
| Field | Claim A | Claim B | Resolution | Publication impact |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| series start and experimental precedents | 1678 regular issue | earlier local or experimental cash contexts exist | Use 1678 for the regular government series and describe earlier contexts separately. | No issue page from the earlier context without exact evidence. |
| number of issuing offices | seven offices in the initial 1678 group | later literature enumerates a much larger network | Model the seven sourced initial offices and keep later additions extensible. | Do not claim the office register is complete. |
| calligraphy-family names | collector names are useful visual shorthand | terminology is not consistent across specialists | Use descriptive families and label them non-attributive. | No thin calligraphy issue routes. |
Continue browsing
Related Korea encyclopedia routes
All routes retain independent evidence and publication gates.
The series hub separates value, office, casting entity, reverse marks, calligraphy, and varieties.
sangpyeong history History of Sangpyeong TongboA sourced chronology from regular issue in 1678 through late Joseon value experiments and monetary reform.
sangpyeong values Sangpyeong Tongbo Value ClassesOne, two, five, and one hundred mun are distinct declared-value classes, not a single uniform physical standard.
sangpyeong offices Sangpyeong Tongbo Issuing OfficesGovernment offices and military commands are modeled as authorities; their dependent casting operations remain separate entities.
sangpyeong casting Casting Sangpyeong TongboA production guide to models, molds, trees, trimming, and the evidence left by cast manufacture without digitally repairing defects.
sangpyeong marks Sangpyeong Tongbo Reverse MarksOffice, value, sequence, numeral, and symbol marks are categorized before any mint or furnace attribution is made.
sangpyeong calligraphy Sangpyeong Tongbo CalligraphyDescriptive stroke families help comparison but do not by themselves establish office, furnace, or date.
sangpyeong varieties Sangpyeong Tongbo VarietiesA layered variety method prevents one reverse character or calligraphic feature from becoming an unsupported issue identity.
sangpyeong grading Grading Sangpyeong TongboCast completeness, legibility, rims, hole, surface stability, and honest defects matter more than machine-struck assumptions.
sangpyeong collecting Collecting Sangpyeong TongboBuild a collection by value class, verified office, mark category, or calligraphy study while keeping uncertain attributions labeled.
byeoljeon Joseon ByeoljeonDecorative and non-circulating cast objects are interpreted beside, but not merged into, the Sangpyeong Tongbo issue catalog.
sangpyeong value Sangpyeong Tongbo One MunThe baseline value class, presented with explicit office and variety boundaries.
sangpyeong value Sangpyeong Tongbo Two MunDangijeon (당이전; 當二錢), nominally two mun, with measurements treated as object evidence rather than universal standards.
sangpyeong value Sangpyeong Tongbo Five MunDangojeon (당오전; 當五錢), a late Joseon high-value cast-cash class.
sangpyeong value Sangpyeong Tongbo One Hundred MunDangbaekjeon (당백전; 當百錢), a short-lived nominal 100-mun issue whose fiscal purpose, overvaluation, and withdrawal must be distinguished.
Sources
Institutional evidence for this page
Source links support the stated scope; they do not license unsourced varieties, market values, or image reuse beyond recorded terms.
Sangpyeongtongbo
national-museum · 2026-07-31
Open sourceUnknown dates, mintages, annual manufacturing, attributions, legal status, and image identity remain unavailable. They never become zero or a confident claim. No market prices are published in this foundation.