Clipped Han Dynasty Wu Zhu Lot #2

This lot is being offered at a discount, as all of these coins have cosmetic or structural imperfections that prevent us from selling them on our normal listings. Coins will not include display cases and will come in a small velvet pouch.

The regular listing for these coins can be found here: https://www.historyhoard.com/products/china-han-dynasty-141-bc

Item Info:

These ancient Chinese coins likely had their edges clipped off by people looking to profit off of the extra metal shavings and spend the clipped coin again afterwards. It's fairly common to find Han dynasty coins that have been clipped, and this criminal activity was seen throughout the ancient world.

Though these bronze Wu Zhu coins were first cast by China's Han Dynasty in 118 BC, almost the same design was used until the start of the Tang Dynasty in 618 AD over 736 years later—making them the longest produced coin design in history.

The coins were based on the "zhu" system of measurement, whereas one zhu was equal to 100 grains of millet. "Wu Zhu" literally translates to "five zhu," although in reality their weight often varied. This is also what the characters on the front of the coin translate to, written in the ancient writing style of seal script.

The period in which these coins are from, the Han Dynasty, is considered to be the golden age of ancient Chinese history. Lasting over 400 years, the dynasty laid the groundwork for much of Chinese culture—even today, China's largest ethnic group refers to themselves as "Han Chinese."

A signed Certificate of Authenticity will accompany your purchase. You will receive the exact item shown in the photos above.