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300 Cash - Wang Mang Third reform
| Issuer | China (ancient) |
|---|---|
| Year | 10-14 |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | 300 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 |
| Thickness | Log in to see details |
| Shape | Log in to see details |
| Technique | Log in to see details |
| Orientation | Log in to see details |
| Engraver(s) | Log in to see details |
| In circulation to | Log in to see details |
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| Obverse description | Log in to see details |
|---|---|
| Obverse script | Chinese |
| Obverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Reverse description | Plain reverse of spade form, displaying a single raised vertical line running centrally from the shoulder down through the body of the coin, dividing the reverse field into two symmetrical halves. The forked foot terminals are clearly defined at the base. The surface shows typical green and brown patination consistent with ancient cast bronze. |
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| Reverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Edge | Log in to see details |
| Mint | Log in to see details |
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| Additional information |
Wang Mang's monetary reforms are among the most aggressively interventionist in ancient Chinese history. The Third Reform of 10 AD introduced a bewildering multi-denomination bronze system intended to replace Han coinage and reinforce the legitimacy of his Xin dynasty — a dynasty that would last only fifteen years before collapsing under peasant rebellion. The 300-cash valuation was wildly artificial; nothing in market practice supported such an exchange rate for a small bronze piece, and contemporary accounts describe widespread refusal to use the new currency.
Hartill 9.22 is among the scarcer denominations of the reform series. Hoards tend to yield the smaller spade and knife-money revival types in far greater numbers.