Item number: A2062

Year: AD 529-534

Material: Copper

Size: 23.5 x 23.2 x 1.6 mm

Weight: 3.14 g

Provenance: Da Chen Stamps and Coins Collection 2015

This is a “Yong’an Five-Zhu” coin, first cast in the second year of the Yong’an reign under Emperor Xiaozhuang of Northern Wei (AD 529). Emperor Xiaojing of Eastern Wei, Yuan Shanjian, also continued the casting of Yong’an Five-Zhu coins from the first year of the Wuding reign (AD 543), though production ceased shortly thereafter. Coins of this type unearthed from the site of Ye City and attributed to the Eastern Wei are known to be slightly smaller than those of the Northern Wei; therefore, this particular specimen is identified as a Northern Wei Yong’an Five-Zhu coin.

The obverse bears the inscription “Yong’an Five-Zhu” in seal script, read in paired columns. All four characters are joined by the inner rim, with the vertical strokes of the character “Five” intersecting to resemble the character “Xiong” (凶), due to a connected vertical line on the left side. The radical “Jin” (金) in the character “Zhu” is slightly tilted to the right at its initial stroke. The reverse features both a full outer rim and inner rim, with the corners of the inner rim thickened and extended diagonally, a design known as “Four outward-flaring corners” (四決). Early issues of this coin type exhibit fine craftsmanship, though quality deteriorated over time. The lack of restrictions on private minting led to the widespread circulation of substandard counterfeits. The script on this particular coin is unclear, and excess bronze and rough edges on both the outer and inner rims have not been trimmed. A casting scar, known as a “mould mark”, appears above the square hole on the reverse. This is caused during the sand-casting process when the mother coin fails to separate cleanly from the mould and falls back onto the already-imprinted coin form—an occurrence more common on the reverse side. When craftsmen retrieve the fallen mother coin, part of its slanted edge may accidentally leave an impression on the mould. If the mould is not discarded and is reused, the resulting coin will bear this distinct mould mark.

Prior to the nineteenth year of the Taihe reign (AD 495), the Northern dynasties had not issued coinage for over a century. In the thirty years that followed, a series of coins were minted, including the Taihe, Yongping, and Yong’an Five-Zhu types. Scholars argue that these efforts were driven by sinicisation policies and the need to stimulate commerce. While the initial issuance of coinage brought short-term improvements to fiscal and economic conditions, rampant counterfeiting inevitably necessitated the creation of new coin types. After the Gao clan replaced the Northern Wei regime, they too resumed the casting of Yong’an Five-Zhu coins, though the trend of inferior and fraudulent production could not be reversed.

Emperor Xiaozhuang of Northern Wei, Yuan Ziyou (AD 507–531), was the son of Emperor Xuanwu, Yuan Ke. He ascended the throne in AD 528. During his reign, he sought to weaken the power of dominant ministers and restore imperial authority. He allied with the general Erzhu Rong to launch the “Heyin Massacre”, resulting in the execution of the regent Empress Dowager Hu and the removal of her influence. However, this action led to the rise of the Erzhu clan’s dominance. In an attempt to reclaim effective control, Xiaozhuang conspired to assassinate Erzhu Rong. Although the plot succeeded, it provoked retaliation from the Erzhu faction. Ultimately, Xiaozhuang was deposed and killed by Erzhu Zhao in AD 531, at the age of only 24, after a brief three-year reign. Thereafter, imperial power within the Northern Wei rapidly declined, leading to a prolonged period of political instability and eventual collapse.

物件編號: A2062

年代: 公元 529-534 年

材料: 青銅

尺寸: 23.5 x 23.2 x 1.6 mm

重量: 3.14 g

來源: 大城郵幣社 2015

這是一枚永安五銖，始鑄於孝莊帝永安二年(公元529年)。東魏孝靜帝元善見，於武定元年(公元543年)以降，亦曾續鑄永安五銖，未幾停鑄。由鄴城遺址出土之東魏永安五銖可知較北魏稍小，故此錢當為北魏永安五銖。

正面錢文「永安五銖」，篆書，對讀。四字均接穿連輪，「五」字直筆交股，左側有一相連的豎劃，類似「凶」字；「銖」字金旁首部向右微傾。錢背外輪內廓俱全，內廓四角稍微加厚，向對角線方向拉伸，稱為「四決」。早期錢幣鑄工精整，但每況愈下，加以不禁私鑄，是以偽劣風行。此錢文字不清，外輪及內廓之餘銅與毛邊亦未磨挫。背穿上方有甲痕，其成因為翻砂鑄錢過程中，母錢必須從模中脫出，有時脫模不順利，母錢又重新掉在印好的錢型上(這種情況多發生在錢背面的型腔)，工匠在拾取母錢時，失手誤以母錢外緣的一部分斜邊印在已模印好的錢型上，而若該錢型並未因此銷毀而將就使用，就會在新鑄幣上形成這種甲痕。

北朝於太和十九年(公元495年)前已有一百餘年未曾鑄幣，此後三十年間接連鑄造太和、永平、永安五銖，學者言為漢化及促進商貿所致。貨幣發行後均於短期內改善財政經濟，而濫鑄後又不得不改鑄新幣。高氏代北魏後，亦曾續鑄永安五銖，濫惡的趨勢仍無法扭轉。

北魏孝莊帝元子攸(AD 507-531)，為北魏宣武帝元恪之子，於公元528年即位。在位期間，他試圖削弱權臣勢力、恢復皇權。其聯合將領爾朱榮發動河陰之變，誅殺掌權的胡太后，擺脫外戚控制，卻也引來爾朱氏專政。後來孝莊帝為奪回實權，密謀誅殺爾朱榮，計劃成功，但引發爾朱氏報復。最終孝莊帝於公元531年被爾朱兆所廢並殺害，年僅24歲，執政僅3年。此後北魏皇權式微，政局混亂，直至崩潰。