Catalog
100 Cash - Wang Mang Third reform
| Issuer | China (ancient) |
|---|---|
| Year | 10-14 |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | 100 Cash |
| Currency | Log in to see details |
| Composition | Log in to see details |
| Weight | Log in to see details |
| Diameter | Log in to see details |
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| Obverse description | Log in to see details |
|---|---|
| Obverse script | Chinese |
| Obverse lettering | 小布一百 (Translation: Xiao Bu Yi Bai — Small Spade / 100 [value]) |
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| Mint | Log in to see details |
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| Additional information |
Wang Mang's monetary reforms were among the most ambitious — and catastrophically received — currency interventions in Chinese history. The third reform of 10 AD introduced a sweeping new denomination system intended to replace Han coinage, but the artificial valuations assigned to the new cash pieces bore no relation to their metal content. Merchants and commoners resisted outright, hoarding the older Wu Zhu coins that Wang Mang had explicitly banned on pain of enslavement.
The result was economic paralysis. By 14 AD, Wang Mang was forced into yet another revision, effectively admitting the third system's failure before the Xin dynasty itself collapsed in 23 AD.