Item number: A2712

Year: 336-221 BC

Material: Bronze

Size: 32.5 x 31.2 x 1.2 mm

Weight: 9.15 g

Provenance: Da Chen Stamps and Coins Collection 2015

This coin is believed to be a large-size “Ban Liang” piece minted by the state of Qin, likely during the reign of King Huiwen, from the second year of his rule to the twenty-sixth year of the reign of Qin Shi Huang (from 336 BC to 221 BC).

The obverse bears the inscription “Ban Liang” (半兩) in seal script (“zhuanshu” 篆書), read from right to left. The square central hole (“fangchuan” 方穿) is bordered by a horizontal bar only at the top edge, a feature referred to as “horizontal rim above the hole” (“chuan shang heng kuo” 穿上橫廓). The reverse side is uninscribed.

The “Ban Liang” was a round coin that began circulating in the Qin territory during the reign of King Huiwen in the Warring States period. It likely spread alongside Qin’s military expansion, and many such coins have been unearthed along the routes from Qin to other states. These coins were often of large size, suggesting they may not have been intended for daily transactions but rather for military supply chains or long-distance trade.

Following the unification of China in 221 BC under Qin Shi Huang, “Ban Liang” became the standard national currency and remained in widespread use until it was replaced during the reign of Emperor Wu of the Western Han dynasty by the “Wu Zhu” coin.

物件編號: A2712

年代: 公元前 336-221 年

材質: 青銅

尺寸: 32.5 x 31.2 x 1.2 mm

重量: 9.15 g

來源: 大城郵幣社 2015

這是一枚疑似於秦惠文王二年至秦始皇26年(公元前336至221年)，秦國所鑄之大型半兩錢。

錢面錢文為「半兩」篆書，由右至左順讀。方穿四邊僅上方有一橫廓，稱「穿上橫廓」。錢背無文。

半兩為戰國時代秦惠文王統治時期，於秦國境內開始流通的圓形貨幣。大約隨秦國的軍事擴張而隨之流布，多出土於秦往列國之徑道，或非供日常交易使用，而是隨軍或長程貿易，故形制多為大錢。隨著公元前221年，秦始皇建立中國歷史上第一個統一的王朝，半兩也為通行於全國的貨幣直到西漢武帝之際，方才為五銖錢取代。