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5 Zhu 'Eastern Han' type, with dot
| Issuer | China (ancient) |
|---|---|
| Year | 150-220 |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Diameter | Log in to see details |
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| Technique | Cast |
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| Obverse description | Cast bronze cash coin of the Eastern Han type featuring the two-character inscription 五銖 (Wu Zhu, '5 Zhu') read from right to left flanking the central square hole, rendered in clerical script relief characters. A distinctive raised dot appears above the square hole in the upper rim area, serving as the diagnostic variety marker for this Hartill 10.32 type. The obverse rim and inner square rim (inner and outer rims) are both present, framing the characters within the fields to the left and right of the perforation. The coin exhibits a green and blue patina consistent with extended burial or surface oxidation typical of Han dynasty bronzes. |
|---|---|
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| Edge | Plain |
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| Additional information |
The dot added to the obverse field of this late Eastern Han wu zhu is not decorative — it almost certainly marks a specific foundry or casting batch, a practice used intermittently across the Han period to track production sources when central monetary authority was fragmenting. By the mid-second century, imperial control over coinage had weakened considerably, with regional warlords and commandery administrators increasingly operating their own casting operations ahead of the collapse that brought the Three Kingdoms period.