The proliferation of half-liang types across the early Western Han period reflects a monetary system in genuine disorder. After the Qin collapse, casting rights fragmented — the Wen Di emperor's edict of 175 BC explicitly permitted private individuals to cast coin, flooding circulation with underweight pieces that progressively debased the currency until Wu Di finally centralized minting authority in 119–118 BC and replaced the half-liang with the wushu standard entirely.
Type 4 sits in the thinner, lighter end of the half-liang spectrum, a direct product of that debasement spiral.
The proliferation of half-liang types across the early Western Han period reflects a monetary system in genuine disorder. After the Qin collapse, casting rights fragmented — the Wen Di emperor's edict of 175 BC explicitly permitted private individuals to cast coin, flooding circulation with underweight pieces that progressively debased the currency until Wu Di finally centralized minting authority in 119–118 BC and replaced the half-liang with the wushu standard entirely.
Type 4 sits in the thinner, lighter end of the half-liang spectrum, a direct product of that debasement spiral.