Item number: A3873

Year: AD 147-190

Material: Bronze

Size: 23.7 x 23.8 x 0.6 mm

Weight: 2.7 g

Provenance: Spink 2023

This coin should be identified as a Wu Zhu cash coin of the late Eastern Han period, modelled on the Jianwu-type Wu Zhu first cast in AD 41 under Emperor Guangwu.

The coin conforms to the traditional round form with a square central aperture characteristic of the Sinosphere. On the obverse there is an outer rim but no inner border; on the reverse both outer rim and inner border are present, and the surface is plain, without inscription. The inscription reads “Wu Zhu” in seal script, to be read sequentially from right to left. The strokes are irregular and slanting; the obverse inscription is shallow and worn, rendering it indistinct and blurred. It was likely privately cast. Although the edge has been filed, it retains a slight curvature, differing from the smooth and straight edges typical of Western Han Wu Zhu coinage. The outer rim has also been filed down, the copper shavings presumably removed for illicit profit.

In the late Eastern Han, particularly from the reigns of Emperor Huan and Emperor Ling onward, the political situation became increasingly unstable. Power alternated between imperial affines and eunuchs, with repeated changes of control brought about by palace coups; notable examples include the execution of Liang Ji after his period of dominance and the subsequent resurgence of eunuch influence, resulting in prolonged struggles for authority. In the provinces, powerful local families expanded their influence, annexed land, and absorbed registered households, gradually weakening the ties between commanderies and the central government. On the social level, frequent natural disasters and epidemics compounded popular hardship, while religious movements such as the Way of Great Peace spread rapidly among the populace, culminating in the Yellow Turban uprising during the Zhongping era, which affected numerous commanderies. In suppressing the unrest, the court relied on local commanders to raise troops independently, thereby expanding the military authority of provincial governors and inspectors and fostering the formation of regional military groupings. Subsequently, Dong Zhuo entered Luoyang, deposed and enthroned emperors at will, and moved the capital to Chang’an. The eastern commanderies and provinces rose in arms against him; although the conflict was not swiftly resolved, it rendered the existing central governing structure largely nominal, and the Eastern Han dynasty moved towards its end amid persistent internal warfare and the dispersal of power.

Eastern Han Wu Zhu coins were first cast in AD 41 under Emperor Guangwu, continuing the Western Han monetary system and aiming to restore the economy after the disruption caused by Wang Mang. However, as casting continued over a long period, the quality of copper, workmanship, calligraphy, and weight steadily deteriorated. In AD 190, the first year of Chuping under Emperor Xian, Dong Zhuo carried out indiscriminate casting of Wu Zhu coins, ultimately destroying the Wu Zhu monetary system. Official coinage thereafter lost public confidence, and the monetary economy collapsed.

物件編號: A3873

年代: 公元 147-190 年

材質: 青銅

尺寸: 23.7 x 23.8 x 0.6 mm

重量: 2.7 g

來源: 斯賓克拍賣行 2023

此錢應為東漢晚期之五銖錢，倣光武帝建武十七年(公元41年)始鑄之建武型五銖錢形制。

錢幣形制為漢文化圈傳統之方孔圓錢，錢面有外輪而無內廓，錢背具外輪內廓，光素無文。錢文為「五銖」篆書，由右向左順讀。筆畫歪斜，面文平淺、漫漶不清，應為私鑄。幣稜雖經磨鑢，但稍有弧度，與西漢五銖幣稜之光滑平直相異。外輪經磨鋊，即磨取銅屑以獲利。

東漢晚期，自桓、靈二帝以來，政治局勢日趨動盪，外戚與宦官輪流掌權，政權多次因宮廷政變而更迭，如梁冀專權被誅、宦官勢力再度抬頭，形成長期的權力拉鋸；地方上，豪強勢力坐大，兼併土地，編戶齊民流失，州郡對中央的依附關係逐漸鬆動。社會層面則災荒頻仍，疫病流行，民生困苦，太平道等宗教性組織在民間迅速擴散，終於在中平年間引發黃巾起義，波及多州郡。為平亂，朝廷倚重地方將領募兵自救，使州牧、刺史軍權擴大，形成各地軍事集團。其後董卓入洛陽、廢立天子、遷都長安，關東諸州郡起兵討伐，雖未能迅速平定局勢，卻使原有的中央統治架構名存實亡，東漢王朝在持續的內亂與權力分散中走向終結。

東漢五銖錢始鑄於光武帝建武十七年(公元41年)，承西漢錢制，整理王莽亂後經濟。然鑄行日久，銅質、工藝、字形、重量均漸差。獻帝初平元年(公元190年)，董卓濫鑄五銖，終壞五銖錢制，使官錢再無法取信於民，貨幣經濟崩潰。