1 Liang Zhuzhongyiliang

The Qin state's banliang coinage — of which this is a specimen — was already circulating before Qin Shi Huang unified China in 221 BC, making it the monetary instrument that outlasted its rivals rather than replaced them. When the other Warring States fell, their currencies were abolished; the banliang simply continued. The inscription itself defines the weight standard, though actual coin weights varied considerably from that stated norm throughout the type's long production run.