Item number: A2061

Year: AD 510-528

Material: Bronze

Size: 23.4 x 23.0 x 0.5 mm

Weight: 1.45 g

Provenance: Da Chen Stamps and Coins Collection 2015

This coin is presumed to be a “Yongping Wuzhu”, first minted in the third year of the Yongping reign of the Northern Wei dynasty (AD 510). Its circulation and production likely continued into the reign of Emperor Xiaoming (AD 515–528), particularly in the capital and neighbouring prefectures.

The obverse features a prominent outer rim but lacks an inner border. The outer rim is relatively broad, while the edge of the coin is irregular. The area where the inner border would typically appear is coarse, and residual bronze has not been removed, resulting in burrs along the margins. The inscription reads “Wu Zhu”. In the character “Wu”, the vertical stroke is slightly curved, and the two horizontal strokes do not extend forward. The character appears slightly elongated. The inscription connects to both the perforation and the rim, with notably thick strokes. The reverse of the coin is flat and featureless.

According to the “Treatise on Food and Commodities” in the Book of Wei, “In the winter of the third year of the Yongping reign under Emperor Shizong, new Wu Zhu coins were minted.” These Yongping Wu Zhu coins were first cast under Emperor Xuanwu of Northern Wei (Yuan Ke) and were initially characterised by their substantial weight and thickness. However, over time, the quality of minting deteriorated. The coins became increasingly inconsistent in size and weight, with official issues indistinguishable from inferior privately cast coins that circulated widely in the market.

Throughout the Wei, Jin, and Southern and Northern Dynasties periods, the monetary system repeatedly fell into a cyclical pattern: insufficient currency supply led to deflation, prompting the government to issue new coins. These new issues, however, quickly lost credibility due to poor alloy quality, resulting in inflation. This, in turn, led to the hoarding of older, higher-quality coins, once again creating a shortage of circulating currency. Before the Yongping era was the Taihe period, and after it came the Yongan period—each marked by a further decline in currency standards, a deterioration that ultimately could not be halted.

物件編號: A2061

年代: 公元 510-528 年

材質: 青銅

尺寸: 23.4 x 23.0 x 0.5 mm

重量: 1.45 g

來源: 大城郵幣社 2015

此錢應為「永平五銖」，於北魏永平三年(公元510年)始鑄，至孝明帝之世(公元515-528)，京師及附近州郡或仍有鑄行。

錢幣正面有外輪而無內廓，外輪較寬，幣緣不齊整，內廓粗糙，流銅未除而有毛邊。錢文為「五銖」，「五」字直筆微曲，二橫畫並未前伸，字形略長；錢文接穿連輪，筆劃粗壯。錢背平夷。

《魏書·食貨志》載：「世宗永平三年冬，又鑄五銖錢」，北魏宣武帝元恪所初鑄之永平五銖，錢體較為厚重，此後鑄造漸濫，錢體大小不一、輕重懸殊，與私鑄劣錢混雜行於市場。魏晉南北朝時期，不斷重複著貨幣總量不足—通貨緊縮—官府加鑄新幣—新幣成色失信—通貨膨脹—舊幣遭儲藏—貨幣總量不足的循環。永平前有太和，後有永安，幣制敗壞，終不能止。