By the late Eastern Han, central authority over coinage had effectively collapsed. Regional warlords, local governors, and private casters all produced 5 Zhu pieces with minimal oversight from Luoyang. The repeated legend variety — where the inscription runs on both sides of the coin — is generally associated with this period of decentralized production, though attribution to a specific issuing authority remains impossible for most examples.
Hartill 10.43 places this type in the final decades before the Han dynasty formally dissolved in 220 AD, when Cao Pi forced the abdication of Emperor Xian.
By the late Eastern Han, central authority over coinage had effectively collapsed. Regional warlords, local governors, and private casters all produced 5 Zhu pieces with minimal oversight from Luoyang. The repeated legend variety — where the inscription runs on both sides of the coin — is generally associated with this period of decentralized production, though attribution to a specific issuing authority remains impossible for most examples.
Hartill 10.43 places this type in the final decades before the Han dynasty formally dissolved in 220 AD, when Cao Pi forced the abdication of Emperor Xian.