Item number: A1725

Year: AD 1905-1912

Material: Bronze

Size: 12.1 x 11.7 x 0.5 mm

Weight: 0.3 g

Provenance: Da Chen Stamps and Coins Collection 2014

This is a Zhi Bai (直百) bronze coin issued in AD 238 during the reign of Liu Chan, the last ruler of Shu Han in the Three Kingdoms period.

The coin follows the typical square-holed format but is exceptionally small, measuring only 12.1 mm in diameter and weighing merely 0.3 grams. Its surface is covered with a layer of green patina. On the obverse, the denomination Zhi Bai (直百) is inscribed in clerical script, with the character Zhi (直) faintly visible on the right side and Bai (百) on the left. The reverse is plain, lacking any inscriptions or decorative elements.

Due to the repeated northern campaigns led by Chancellor Zhuge Liang, Shu Han’s treasury was severely depleted, leading to rampant inflation. In AD 238, following Zhuge Liang’s death, Emperor Liu Chan implemented a currency reform to streamline the previously chaotic monetary system. As part of this reform, two denominations, Zhi Yi (直一) and Zhi Bai (直百), were introduced. While initially successful, the reform eventually fell into the same pattern of weight reduction, leading to further monetary debasement.

Liu Chan, the last ruler of Shu Han, reigned for 41 years, making him the longest-serving monarch of the Three Kingdoms period. The common portrayal of Liu Chan as weak and incompetent largely originates from Romance of the Three Kingdoms, a historical novel written by Luo Guanzhong during the Ming Dynasty.

物件編號: A1725

年代: 公元 1905-1912 年

材質: 青銅

尺寸: 12.1 x 11.7 x 0.5 mm

重量: 0.3 g

來源: 大城郵幣社 2014

這是一枚公元238年，三國時代蜀漢的最後一位統治者劉禪在位期間發行的「直百」銅錢。

錢幣形制為典型的方孔錢，體型十分嬌小，直徑僅12.1毫米和重量僅有0.3克，外表則包裹著一層綠色包漿。錢幣正面的右側和左側，依稀能看到以隸書書法鐫刻的面額「直百」兩字。錢幣背面為光背，沒有任何文字或是圖案。

蜀漢由於丞相諸葛亮主導的多次北伐，使得國庫空虛內部面臨嚴重的通貨膨脹。公元238年，蜀後主劉禪在諸葛亮過世之後推動貨幣改革，發行「直一」和「直百」兩種面額的錢幣以簡化過去混亂的幣制，起初得到成功但是後續又步上減輕貨幣重量的惡性循環。

蜀後主劉禪為蜀漢的末代統治者，其在位時間長達41年，為三國時期在位時間最長的君王。後人對於劉禪軟弱無能的形象，多是出自明朝羅貫中所著的《三國演義》一書。