Zhaona Xinbao

Zhaona Xinbao

Southern Song Dynasty, China
Mass	5 g
Diameter	26 mm
Composition	Bronze, rare instances in silver and gold
Years of minting	1131 (Shaoxing 1)
Circulation	Limited, not meant for general circulation
Obverse
Design	"Zhaona Xinbao" (招納信寶), "To beckon, to admit, to trust, treasure"
Design date	1131
Reverse
Design	"Shi" (使) and possibly "Shang" (上), indicating an official mission and possibly a signature
Design date	1131

The Zhaona Xinbao (traditional Chinese: 招納信寶; simplified Chinese: 招纳信宝; pinyin: zhāo nà xìn bǎo; lit. 'Treasure (coin) that serves as a letter of introduction') is a special type of Southern Song dynasty cash coin developed as a propaganda and psychological warfare tool for recruiting defectors from the army of the Jurchen Jin dynasty around the year Shaoxing 1 (or the Gregorian year 1131) under the reign of Emperor Gaozong.^[1] These special coins superficially resemble traditional Chinese cash coins but contain an inscription alluding to their intent, generally these Zhaona Xinbao tokens were made from bronze but in very rare cases they were also made from silver or gold.^[2]