5 Zhu 'Thread ring' type

The "thread ring" designation refers to the unusually narrow, wire-like inner rim that distinguishes this variety from contemporary 5 Zhu issues — a feature tied to specific workshop practices in the Eastern Han period rather than any imperial directive. By the late 2nd century, central minting authority had effectively collapsed, with regional warlords and local administrators striking their own issues under increasingly chaotic conditions preceding the Three Kingdoms division of 220 AD. The thinness of these coins and their light weights reflect that breakdown in standardization.