Catalog
See full images - free registration
Continue with Google - no registration!
or register with email
Why register? Just to keep bots out of our catalog. Your email stays private - we will never share it or send you anything uninvited. We guarantee you that!
5 Zhu - Wen
| Issuer | Southern dynasties |
|---|---|
| Year | 562-566 |
| Type | Standard circulation coin |
| Value | Log in to see details |
| Currency | Log in to see details |
| Composition | Log in to see details |
| Weight | Log in to see details |
| Diameter | Log in to see details |
| Thickness | Log in to see details |
| Shape | Log in to see details |
| Technique | Log in to see details |
| Orientation | Log in to see details |
| Engraver(s) | Log in to see details |
| In circulation to | Log in to see details |
| Reference(s) | Log in to see details |
| Obverse description | Central square perforation surrounded by a plain raised inner rim, flanking which appear two Chinese seal-script characters read from right to left: 五 (Wu, 'five') to the right of the hole and 銖 (Zhu, a unit of weight) to the left, both rendered in low relief. The legends are cast in a somewhat rough, archaic style characteristic of Southern Dynasties coinage, with visible surface porosity and green patination consistent with burial age. A plain raised outer rim encircles the entire design field. |
|---|---|
| Obverse script | Log in to see details |
| Obverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Reverse description | Log in to see details |
| Reverse script | Log in to see details |
| Reverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Edge | Plain |
| Mint | Log in to see details |
| Mintage | Log in to see details |
| Additional information |
The Southern Qi, Chen, and intervening courts of the mid-sixth century were minting under chronic bronze shortages, and the coinages of this window are notoriously inconsistent in alloy and flan preparation. The Wen reign of the Chen dynasty — one of the shortest-lived of the Southern dynasties succession — produced issues that circulated alongside debased remnants of earlier Southern Qi and Liang coinage, creating a chaotic monetary environment where weight and purity were largely nominal.
Hartill 10.22 distinguishes this type by specific rim and cast characteristics that separate it from near-contemporary issues sharing the same inscription.