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10 Cash - Wang Mang Second reform
| Issuer | China (ancient) |
|---|---|
| Year | 9-14 |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | Log in to see details |
| Currency | Zhu (second reform, 9-14) |
| 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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| Obverse description | Log in to see details |
|---|---|
| Obverse script | Log in to see details |
| Obverse lettering | 幺泉一十 (Translation: Yao Quan Yi Shi / Baby coin / 10 (value)) |
| Reverse description | Uniface reverse, entirely plain. The flat field surrounding the central square perforation bears no inscription, design, or decorative element. A raised inner rim frames the square hole, and a raised outer rim borders the coin's edge. The surface is covered with characteristic olive-green and brown patina with areas of cuprite, consistent with ancient cast bronze coinage of the Xin Dynasty period. |
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| Additional information |
Wang Mang's currency reforms were among the most ambitious — and catastrophically received — monetary interventions in Chinese history. His second reform, introduced after the first had already failed to gain public acceptance, attempted to impose a complex multi-denomination bronze system on a population that had grown accustomed to the straightforward Ban Liang and Wu Zhu coinage of the Han dynasty. Merchants and commoners largely ignored the new denominations, hoarding or melting pieces rather than using them at face value.
The gap between the assigned value of 10 cash and the actual bronze content made this piece functionally worthless as a store of value — a contradiction the market recognized immediately.