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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

Joseon Sangpyeong Tongbo 2 mun, obverse Joseon Sangpyeong Tongbo 2 mun, reverse
Joseon Sangpyeong Tongbo 2 mun. Verified obverse and reverse, shown as a named example that accurately matches this guide's subject. Image source: National Museum of Korea, Sinsu 12561 · License: KOGL Type 1
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.

1series2valueClass3issuingOffice4castingEntity5reverseMarks6calligraphyFamily7issueOrVariety

Value classes

Declared value is not a universal physical standard

Weights shown from institutional examples retain their qualifiers. Missing measurements remain unavailable.

ClassKorean / HanjaNominal munDatesWeight evidence
Dangiljeon / one mun당일전 · 當一錢11678–present4.5 g — one early institutional example; not a universal series standard
Dangijeon / two mun당이전 · 當二錢21679–present8.4 g — one early institutional example; later pieces vary
Dangojeon / five mun당오전 · 當五錢51883–presentmeasurement register incomplete
Dangbaekjeon / one hundred mun당백전 · 當百錢1001866–1868object 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 categoryNamePositionInterpretation
officeIssuing-office characterupper or principal reverse fieldMay identify an office, but placement and series context must be checked.
valueDeclared value markreverseExamples include 當二, 當五, and 當百; value does not identify a furnace.
sequence-or-productionThousand Character Classic markreverseA production-sequence or subordination system in specific contexts; attribution is not universal.
number-or-symbolNumeral, circle, bar, or symbolreverseRecorded descriptively until office and casting attribution are supported.
Calligraphy familyKoreanDefinition
Regular-script family해서체 계열Broad visual family only; not an automatic date or office attribution.
Slender-stroke family세획 계열Collector-facing descriptive group pending stable institutional terminology.
Broad-stroke family광획 계열Descriptive 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.

FieldClaim AClaim BResolutionPublication impact
series start and experimental precedents1678 regular issueearlier local or experimental cash contexts existUse 1678 for the regular government series and describe earlier contexts separately.No issue page from the earlier context without exact evidence.
number of issuing officesseven offices in the initial 1678 grouplater literature enumerates a much larger networkModel the seven sourced initial offices and keep later additions extensible.Do not claim the office register is complete.
calligraphy-family namescollector names are useful visual shorthandterminology is not consistent across specialistsUse 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.

sangpyeong overview Sangpyeong Tongbo Encyclopedia

The series hub separates value, office, casting entity, reverse marks, calligraphy, and varieties.

sangpyeong history History of Sangpyeong Tongbo

A sourced chronology from regular issue in 1678 through late Joseon value experiments and monetary reform.

sangpyeong values Sangpyeong Tongbo Value Classes

One, two, five, and one hundred mun are distinct declared-value classes, not a single uniform physical standard.

sangpyeong offices Sangpyeong Tongbo Issuing Offices

Government offices and military commands are modeled as authorities; their dependent casting operations remain separate entities.

sangpyeong casting Casting Sangpyeong Tongbo

A production guide to models, molds, trees, trimming, and the evidence left by cast manufacture without digitally repairing defects.

sangpyeong marks Sangpyeong Tongbo Reverse Marks

Office, value, sequence, numeral, and symbol marks are categorized before any mint or furnace attribution is made.

sangpyeong calligraphy Sangpyeong Tongbo Calligraphy

Descriptive stroke families help comparison but do not by themselves establish office, furnace, or date.

sangpyeong varieties Sangpyeong Tongbo Varieties

A layered variety method prevents one reverse character or calligraphic feature from becoming an unsupported issue identity.

sangpyeong grading Grading Sangpyeong Tongbo

Cast completeness, legibility, rims, hole, surface stability, and honest defects matter more than machine-struck assumptions.

sangpyeong collecting Collecting Sangpyeong Tongbo

Build a collection by value class, verified office, mark category, or calligraphy study while keeping uncertain attributions labeled.

byeoljeon Joseon Byeoljeon

Decorative and non-circulating cast objects are interpreted beside, but not merged into, the Sangpyeong Tongbo issue catalog.

sangpyeong value Sangpyeong Tongbo One Mun

The baseline value class, presented with explicit office and variety boundaries.

sangpyeong value Sangpyeong Tongbo Two Mun

Dangijeon (당이전; 當二錢), nominally two mun, with measurements treated as object evidence rather than universal standards.

sangpyeong value Sangpyeong Tongbo Five Mun

Dangojeon (당오전; 當五錢), a late Joseon high-value cast-cash class.

sangpyeong value Sangpyeong Tongbo One Hundred Mun

Dangbaekjeon (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.

National Museum of Korea

Sangpyeongtongbo

national-museum · 2026-07-31

Open source
Evidence boundary

Unknown 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.