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1 Cash - Tianhan Yuanbao
| Issuer | Former Shu Kingdom |
|---|---|
| Year | 917 |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Diameter | 23 mm |
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| Obverse description | Cast bronze cash coin bearing four Chinese characters in clerical script (lishu), arranged in the traditional clockwise reading order around a central square perforation: 天 (tiān) at top, 漢 (hàn) at right, 元 (yuán) at bottom, and 寶 (bǎo) at left, together reading Tianhan Yuanbao. The characters are rendered in bold, well-defined relief with slightly rounded strokes characteristic of Five Dynasties period casting. The central square hole is framed by a raised inner rim, with a broader raised outer rim encircling the coin's periphery. The field between the rims is plain and unadorned, consistent with standard Tang–Five Dynasties cash coinage conventions. |
|---|---|
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| Edge | Plain |
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| Additional information |
The Former Shu was a short-lived kingdom occupying Sichuan during the Five Dynasties period, and Wang Jian — its founder — declared himself emperor in 907 after the Tang collapse left the southwest effectively ungoverned. The Tianhan reign period lasted only from 917 to 918, making this a single-year issue from a reign title that itself survived less than two years before Wang Jian died and his son Wang Zongyan renamed the era. Surviving examples are accordingly scarce, with most attributable pieces showing heavy circulation consistent with a provincial economy that had little choice but to use whatever coinage the local court produced.