Item number: A2057

Year: AD 562-589

Material: Bronze

Size: 25.1 x 25.3 x 1.5 mm

Weight: 3.4 g

Provenance: Da Chen Stamps and Coins Collection 2015

This coin is presumed to be the “Tianjia Wu Zhu”, first minted in the third year of Emperor Wen of the Chen dynasty’s Tianjia reign (AD 562), and remained in circulation until the fall of the Chen dynasty to the Sui in AD 589.

The obverse and reverse sides of the coin are both equipped with an outer rim and an inner border. The inscription “Wu Zhu” is rendered in seal script and reads from left to right. The character “Wu” features curved strokes, with its two horizontal lines slightly extending forward. The overall structure is slender, and the strokes are comparatively thick. The reverse bears no inscription. The coin demonstrates exquisite craftsmanship, with deeply engraved inscriptions. Its form and the style of the character “Zhu” closely resemble those found on the Taihuo Liu Zhu coins minted in the eleventh year of the Taijian reign (AD 579).

Chen Baxian declared himself emperor in place of the Liang in the second year of the Liang Taiping era (AD 557). In the early years of the Chen dynasty, currency from preceding regimes and privately cast coins, such as the so-called “goose-eye coins”, were used concurrently with commodities like grain and silk as mediums of exchange. It was not until the reign of his nephew, Emperor Wen (Chen Qian), that a new official coinage was introduced. As recorded in the Book of Chen, “In the intercalary second month of the third year of the Tianjia reign, on the day Jiazi, the casting of Wu Zhu coins was reformed.” The Book of Sui, under the Treatise on Food and Commodities, also notes: “At first issuance, one was worth ten goose-eye coins.”

The goose-eye coins were in circulation throughout the Northern and Southern Dynasties. They were so named due to their small diameter, wide central hole, and thin body, which rendered an appearance akin to a goose’s eye. Although periodically prohibited by the authorities, such restrictions were inconsistently enforced and ultimately ineffective. Emperor Wen of Chen initiated the reform to stabilise the monetary system and, concurrently, to benefit from the profits derived from minting. His reign was marked by political clarity, administrative diligence, and a stable economy, successfully reversing the decline caused by the chaos at the end of the Liang dynasty. As a result, his rule came to be known as the “Tianjia Prosperity”.

物件編號: A2057

年代: 公元 562-589 年

材質: 青銅

尺寸: 25.1 x 25.3 x 1.5 mm

重量: 3.4 g

來源: 大城郵幣社 2015

此錢應為「天嘉五銖」，於南朝陳文帝天嘉三年(公元562年)始鑄，鑄行最晚至為隋所滅(公元589)。

錢幣正背面外輪內廓俱全。錢文為「五銖」篆書，由左至右順讀。「五」字曲筆，二橫畫稍微前伸，字形細長，筆劃稍粗。錢背無文。鑄工精美，銘刻深鐫。此錢形制、「銖」字風格與太建十一年(公元579年)所鑄之太貨六銖頗類。

陳霸先於梁太平二年(公元557年)代梁稱帝。陳初雜用前朝貨幣與私鑄錢，如鵝眼錢等，兼以穀帛為用。直至陳霸先侄，陳文帝陳蒨改鑄新錢，如《陳書·世祖本紀》載：「天嘉三年閏二月甲子，改鑄五銖錢。」《隋書·食貨志》亦載：「初出，一當鵝眼之十。」鵝眼錢於南北朝皆有流通，以其小徑廣穿薄肉，空洞似鵝眼，因而得名。官府時禁時縱，終不能止。陳文帝改鑄新幣以穩定貨幣，同時也收鑄幣之利。其在位期間經濟穩定，勵精圖治，政治清明，逐漸恢復梁末大亂以來衰落的國力，故有「天嘉小康」之譽。