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50 Cash - Wang Mang First reform, '15 Cash'
| Issuer | China (ancient) |
|---|---|
| Year | 7-23 |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | Log in to see details |
| Currency | Log in to see details |
| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Reference(s) | Hartill#9.9 |
| Obverse description | Four Chinese seal-script (zhuanshu) ideograms arranged in a cruciform reading pattern around a central square hole: 大 (da) at top, 泉 (quan) at bottom, 五 (wu) at right, and 十 (shi) at left, together reading 'Da Quan Wu Shi' (Large Coin, Fifty). The characters are rendered in a bold, archaic style typical of Wang Mang-era cast bronze cash, with raised relief legends set within a plain inner and outer rim. |
|---|---|
| Obverse script | Log in to see details |
| Obverse lettering | 大 五 十 泉 (Translation: Da Quan Wu Shi Large coin / 50 (value)) |
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| Additional information |
Wang Mang's currency reforms were among the most ambitious — and catastrophically mismanaged — monetary interventions in Chinese history. After seizing the Han throne and declaring the Xin dynasty in 9 AD, he issued multiple overlapping denominations deliberately overvalued against their bronze content, forcing subjects to accept coins at face values the market consistently refused. This piece, nominally a 50-cash coin retariffed during the first reform as 15 cash, reflects that pattern of downward revision as popular resistance made the original valuations untenable.
The reforms ultimately collapsed along with the dynasty itself in 23 AD, when Han loyalists restored imperial rule.