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!
50 Cash - Wang Mang First reform, repeated legend
| Issuer | Xin Dynasty (Wang Mang) |
|---|---|
| Year | 7-23 |
| 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 hole (穿) surrounded by a raised square inner rim, with the four-character legend 大泉五十 (Da Quan Wu Shi, meaning 'Large Coin, Fifty') arranged in boustrophedon fashion reading top-to-bottom on the right and left sides of the central aperture. The field is divided by raised lines connecting the inner and outer rims at the cardinal points, creating four quadrants. The outer rim is broad and slightly raised. The style is characteristic of Wang Mang-era cast bronze coinage, with well-defined strokes in the archaic seal script tradition. |
|---|---|
| Obverse script | Log in to see details |
| Obverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Reverse description | Central square hole (穿) with a raised square inner rim, mirroring the obverse layout. The four-character legend 大泉五十 (Da Quan Wu Shi) is repeated on the reverse in the same boustrophedon arrangement, a distinctive feature of this 'repeated legend' type as classified under Hartill 9.8. Raised lines radiate from the inner rim to the outer rim at the cardinal points, dividing the field into four quadrants. The broad outer rim and overall casting quality are consistent with official Xin Dynasty mint production. The surface retains a patinated green-bronze appearance typical of excavated Han-era cast coinage. |
| Reverse script | Log in to see details |
| Reverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Edge | Log in to see details |
| Mint | Log in to see details |
| Mintage | Log in to see details |
| Additional information |
Wang Mang's currency reforms were among the most ambitious — and catastrophically unpopular — monetary interventions in Chinese history. His first reform, issued when he still ruled as regent under the Han, introduced a bewildering array of new denominations designed to reassert state control over coinage. The 50 Cash valuation on a coin of this physical size was transparently artificial, and merchants largely refused to accept the official exchange rates.
The "repeated legend" variety reflects an interesting die characteristic in which the inscription appears duplicated in the design field — a feature that has helped modern scholars map production runs across different casting centers.