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1 Cash
| Issuer | Gaochang Kingdom |
|---|---|
| Year | 460-640 |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | Log in to see details |
| Currency | Log in to see details |
| Composition | Log in to see details |
| Weight | Log in to see details |
| Diameter | Log in to see details |
| Thickness | Log in to see details |
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| In circulation to | Log in to see details |
| Reference(s) | Hartill#14.136, FD#1819 |
| Obverse description | Log in to see details |
|---|---|
| Obverse script | Log in to see details |
| Obverse lettering | 高昌吉利 (Translation: Gao Chang Ji Li — Gaochang / Auspicious profit) |
| Reverse description | Plain, uniface reverse featuring a central square hole with a raised square inner rim and a smooth, unadorned outer rim. The field bears no inscriptions, symbols, or decorative elements, consistent with the uniface cash coinage tradition of the Gaochang Kingdom. The surface displays a natural green patina developed over centuries, with minor casting irregularities visible around the rim. |
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| Edge | Log in to see details |
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| Additional information |
The Gaochang Kingdom occupied the Turfan Basin in what is now Xinjiang, functioning as a critical waystation on the Silk Road between the 5th and 7th centuries. Its coinage reflects the kingdom's unusual position — culturally Sinicized, politically semi-independent, and commercially entangled with merchants from Central Asia, Persia, and the Chinese interior simultaneously. Gaochang was absorbed by the Tang dynasty in 640 after a military campaign ordered by Emperor Taizong, ending the kingdom's roughly 140-year run as an autonomous entity.
Surviving examples are rarely found outside Turfan excavation contexts.