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.
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.