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5 Zhu 'Eastern Han', reversed legend, with lines
| Issuer | China (ancient) |
|---|---|
| Year | 150-220 |
| Type | Standard circulation coin |
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| Obverse description | Central square hole flanked by two Chinese seal-script characters reading from right to left in the reverse (mirror) orientation: 銖 (Zhu) to the right and 五 (Wu) to the left of the perforation, constituting the denomination legend 五銖 (Wu Zhu, '5 Zhu'). The characters are cast in low relief within a plain, unbordered field. The coin surface displays characteristic Eastern Han patination with areas of green and golden-brown encrustation. |
|---|---|
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| Edge | Plain |
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| Additional information |
The "reversed legend" designation here refers to a die-cutting error in which the characters were engraved in mirror image, a mistake that slipped through quality control at one of the numerous provincial mints operating with decreasing oversight as Han central authority collapsed. By the late second century, the imperial minting system was fragmenting badly — warlords, regional governors, and military commanders were all producing cash coinage to pay troops, and die quality suffered accordingly. The interior lines — raised ridges crossing the square hole — appear on a subset of late Eastern Han issues and are not yet fully attributed to a specific mint or authority.