10 Cash - Tiance Fubao, bronze

The Tiance Fubao was issued by Ma Yin, the warlord who founded Ma Chu in the chaos following the Tang collapse, having declared himself King of Chu in 907. The "Tiance" title — Tiance Shangjiang, or "Heavenly Policy Supreme General" — was granted to Ma Yin by the Later Liang court as a political concession, and he leveraged it for his coinage rather than using a reign title, an unusual choice that signals both his semi-autonomous status and his ambition. Ma Chu controlled the tea and lead trades out of Hunan, and large-denomination cash like this 10-cash piece served those commercial networks directly.