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Yuan Ying Yuan
| Issuer | Chu, State of |
|---|---|
| Year | 400 BC - 220 BC |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | Log in to see details |
| Currency | Log in to see details |
| Composition | Gold |
| Weight | Log in to see details |
| Diameter | Log in to see details |
| Thickness | Log in to see details |
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| Technique | Log in to see details |
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| Obverse description | Irregular sheet of hammered gold bearing one or more square stamp impressions, each containing the two Chinese seal-script characters 郢爰 (Ying Yuan) arranged within a bordered square punch. The characters are rendered in an archaic seal script style, deeply impressed into the gold surface, with the legends reading as the place name and unit of value. The surrounding field retains the naturally uneven, rough texture characteristic of cast and hammered Warring States gold currency. Individual pieces were cut from larger sheets, resulting in the irregular outline typical of this issue. |
|---|---|
| Obverse script | Log in to see details |
| Obverse lettering | 郢爰 (Translation: Ying Yuan) |
| Reverse description | Log in to see details |
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| Reverse lettering | Log in to see details |
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| Additional information |
The Yuan Ying Yuan is among the earliest gold coinage produced anywhere in the ancient world, issued by the state of Chu during the Warring States period when bronze spade and knife currencies dominated the rest of China. Chu's use of gold set it apart from rival states — a reflection of the kingdom's access to gold-bearing rivers in the Huai and Han river valleys rather than any centralized monetary policy in the modern sense.
Hartill 5.1 identifies the stamp-marked format, where a larger gold slab was impressed with multiple square seal stamps and then cut into individual pieces for transaction. The cuts are characteristically irregular.