Item number: A2050

Year: AD 540-551

Material: Bronze

Size: 23.2 x 23.3 x 0.7 mm

Weight: 1.8 g

Provenance: Da Chen Stamps and Coins Collection 2015

This coin is identified as a “Datong Wu Zhu”, first minted in the sixth year of the Datong reign (AD 540) under the Western Wei dynasty.

The coin features an outer rim on both obverse and reverse sides, without an inner circular border. The outer rim is relatively thick. The obverse bears the inscription “Wu Zhu” (“Five Zhu”). The character “Wu” is composed of straight strokes, with its two horizontal lines not extending beyond the vertical stroke, resulting in a narrow and elongated form. The “Jin” radical of the character “Zhu” appears with a triangular, inward-slanting initial stroke, while the “Zhu” component has a short upper and elongated lower stroke. The central perforation is a decorative hole known as a “flower hole”, deviating from the standard square shape. This coin appears to fall within the category of “octagonal perforation” coins. Such irregular perforations were the result of errors made by mint workers during the process of punching and clearing excess metal. Due to their accidental and uncommon nature, these features have long been regarded by collectors as decorative anomalies.

According to the History of the Northern Dynasties (Bei Shi), coins inscribed with “Wu Zhu” were first minted in the sixth year of the Datong reign (AD 540), modelled stylistically after the “Yongan Wu Zhu” coins. In later periods, they came to be referred to as “Datong Wu Zhu”. In the twelfth year of the Datong reign (AD 546), coinage resumed, although the specific details remain unclear. Early specimens of the Datong Wu Zhu were well-crafted and weighed approximately 4 grams. However, due to the continuous military conflicts between Eastern and Western Wei, coupled with severe drought and widespread famine, the weight of the coins decreased significantly. Privately minted counterfeits further entered circulation, diluting the quality and consistency of the currency.

Emperor Wen of Western Wei (Yuan Baoju, AD 507–551) was originally a member of the Northern Wei imperial clan and ascended the throne in AD 535 in the Guanzhong region, thus founding the Western Wei dynasty. He adopted “Datong” as his reign title. Though he held the imperial title, actual power was wielded by the influential statesman Yuwen Tai. Emperor Wen was known for his mild temperament and maintained a stable working relationship with Yuwen Tai, which helped ensure political stability. During the Datong period, Yuwen Tai introduced a series of military and administrative reforms, including the preliminary implementation of the fubing (militia) system and the centralisation of authority, laying the groundwork for the later Northern Zhou dynasty. Although Emperor Wen did not undertake major territorial expansion, his reign was marked by relative consolidation, and Western Wei institutions increasingly reflected influences from the southern dynasties. He died in AD 551 and was posthumously honoured as Gaozu. His death marked the conclusion of a transitional period in Western Wei, which was eventually succeeded by Northern Zhou in AD 557.

At the time of its accession into the collection, this coin was recorded as a Six Dynasties coin.

物件編號: A2050

年代: 公元 540-551 年

材質: 青銅

尺寸: 23.2 x 23.3 x 0.7 mm

重量: 1.8 g

來源: 大城郵幣社 2015

此錢應為「大統五銖」，於西魏大統六年(公元540年)始鑄。

此錢正反面皆有外輪而無內廓，外輪稍厚。正面錢文為「五銖」，「五」為直筆，二橫畫並未前出，字形狹長。「銖」之「金」旁首部三角形向內傾斜，「朱」旁首短而下長。錢幣中央穿孔為花穿，即未呈規整方形，此錢當屬八角穿之類。花穿為錢幣在鑿通穿孔，清理餘銅的過程中，錢工施作失誤的產物。由於其偶然與稀少的性質，長期以來被收藏者視為錢幣的額外裝飾。

據《北史》載，大統六年(公元540年)，首鑄幣文「五銖」之錢，風格倣「永安五銖」，後世稱「大統五銖」。大統十二年(公元546年)，再次鼓鑄，細節則不明。「大統五銖」初鑄時，頗為精美，重4克上下。但由於東、西魏的相互征伐從未間斷，加以大旱、大飢。錢重急遽減輕，私鑄品亦混雜其中，濫竽充數。

西魏文帝元寶炬(公元507–551年)，原為北魏宗室，於公元535年在關中即位，為西魏之開國皇帝，以「大統」為年號。雖身為皇帝，實權掌握在權臣宇文泰手中。他性格謙和，與宇文泰關係穩定，使政局得以維持。大統年間，宇文泰實施軍政改革，包括府兵制雛形與中央集權措施，為北周奠定基礎。文帝任內雖無重大擴張，但政權穩固，文化與制度亦漸向南朝靠攏。公元551年逝世，諡高祖，為西魏短暫過渡時期劃下句點。公元557年，北周代西魏。

此錢幣入藏時註記為六朝錢幣。