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50 Cash - Wang Mang First reform, with crescent
| Issuer | China (ancient) |
|---|---|
| Year | 7-23 |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | Log in to see details |
| Currency | Zhu (first reform, 7-9) |
| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Obverse description | Four Chinese seal script (Xiaozhuang) ideograms arranged in a cruciform pattern reading top, bottom, right, left around a central square hole: 大泉五十 (Da Quan Wu Shi, meaning 'Large Coin, Fifty'). The characters are rendered in a bold, formal seal script style typical of the Xin dynasty monetary reforms. The square central perforation is framed by a raised inner rim, with the legends occupying the four quadrants of the coin field. An outer raised rim encircles the entire design. |
|---|---|
| Obverse script | Log in to see details |
| Obverse lettering | 大泉五十 (Translation: Da Quan Wu Shi - Large coin / 50 (value)) |
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| Additional information |
Wang Mang's monetary reforms were among the most ambitious — and disastrous — currency interventions in Chinese history. After usurping the Han throne and founding the Xin dynasty, he imposed a series of coinage reforms beginning in 7 AD that tried to displace the established wuzhu system with an elaborate hierarchy of new denominations. This particular issue, denominated at 50 cash but weighing a fraction of what that value implied, triggered immediate hoarding of the older coinage and widespread counterfeiting.
The crescent variety listed under Hartill 9.1 is distinguished by a lunate mark whose precise function — mint identifier, die marker, or quality control punch — remains unresolved in the scholarship.