Tang Dynasty AE Cash Coin - 開元通寶 Kai Yuan Tong Bao (The Inaugural Currency). 718 - 732 AD.

Tang Dynasty AE Cash Coin - Kai Yuan Tong Bao (The Inaugural Currency), 開元通寶, (718 - 732 AD)

Obverse: KAI YUAN TONG BAO, 開元通寶, Thick outer rim surrounding four flanking Chinese characters, thin inner square rim.

Reverse: No legend, Thick outer rim, thin inner square rim.

Reference: Hartill 14.3

Ex: ECIN (Every Coin In Numismatics)

Kai Yuan Tong Bao or "The Inaugural Universal Currency" was a standard in the Tang Dynasty for around 300 years. Another generic coin, but has a much more modern style that carries on to the end of the cash coin.

These cast coins were well made, as well as having regulations where citizens were no longer allowed to mint coins as they once were. The penalty for minting coins was death. The alloy composition also had a standard regulation of 83% copper, 15% lead, and 2% tin. Although, testing seemed to produce different results for a lot of coins.