Item number: A243

Year: AD 420-589

Material: Copper

Size: 20.7 x 19.8 x 0.9 mm

Weight: 1.69 g

Provenance: Fuchin Coin 2022

This is a copper coin minted during the Southern and Northern Dynasties period by the southern regime, known as the “Wu Jin” coin. In comparison to the Han Dynasty’s Wu Zhu coins, this coin features a larger central square hole, narrower width of the coin face, and an irregular and blurred circumference, reflecting the unstable social environment during the Southern and Northern Dynasties period due to continuous warfare. On the obverse side of the coin, the characters “Wu Jin” representing the equivalent value of five Zhu are inscribed on both the left and right sides, while the reverse side of the coin does not bear any inscription.

Since the late Eastern Han Dynasty, China experienced the turbulent Three Kingdoms period characterised by warlord domination. Although there was a brief period of unity during the Jin Dynasty, internal conflicts among the royal family and attacks from northern nomadic tribes led to another era of division known as the Southern and Northern Dynasties period. In contrast to the direct invasions from northern nomads, the northern regimes resorted to a barter economy due to economic hardships.

In the south, since Eastern Wu during the Three Kingdoms period, successive regimes such as Eastern Jin, Liu Song, Southern Qi, Southern Liang, and Chen emerged, with their capitals located in Nanjing. These regimes collectively known as the “Six Dynasties” relied on the protection of the Yangtze River and were relatively less affected by warfare, allowing them to maintain a monetary economy.

Indeed, starting from the late Eastern Han Dynasty, with the unstable political situation, the supply and quality of currency significantly declined. The Six Dynasties regimes also faced shortages of currency, and even lacked the copper ore needed for coinage. In chronological order, the Eastern Jin Dynasty briefly minted the “Shen Lang Qian”; during the Song Dynasty, both official and private minting proliferated, but the quality was extremely poor, leading to inflation; the Qi Dynasty chose not to mint currency, leading the country into deflation; the Liang Dynasty resumed coinage; and the Chen Dynasty minted only two types of currency.

A common feature among these regimes was the minting of “virtually valued large coins,” which were made from inferior materials with insufficient metal content, resulting in coins with face values greater than their intrinsic worth, thus plundering wealth from the populace. These coins, mockingly referred to as “goose-eye coins,” often weighed less than one gram and could even float on water due to their light weight.

Indeed, originating from the Western Han Dynasty, the “Wu Zhu Qian” underwent a turbulent currency policy during the chaotic period of the Southern and Northern Dynasties and the short-lived unity under the Sui Dynasty. As a result, the public lost trust in the “Wu Zhu Qian.” Therefore, Li Yuan, the founder of the Tang Dynasty, decided to mint the “Kai Yuan Tongbao” to replace the “Wu Zhu Qian.” With this decision, the more than 700-year history of the “Wu Zhu Qian” came to an end, marking the beginning of a new era in Chinese currency named after the “Tongbao.”

物件編號: A243

年代: 公元 420-589 年

材料: 青銅

尺寸: 20.7 x 19.8 x 0.9 mm

重量: 1.69 g

來源: 福君錢幣 2022

這是一枚南北朝時期，由南方政權鑄造的「五金」銅錢，相較於漢朝鑄造的五銖錢，該錢幣中央的方孔更大，幣面的寬度更為狹窄，圓周也十分模糊不整齊，充分反映出南北朝時期因戰亂而不穩定的社會環境。錢幣正面的左右兩側，寫有等值五銖面額的「五金」字樣；錢幣背面則沒有任何文字。

東漢末年以來，中國先是陷入軍閥割據的三國時代，雖然曾有晉朝短暫的統一，但內部的宗室叛亂和北方的胡人夾擊下，再度陷入分裂的南北朝時代。相較於面對胡人的直接入侵，經濟陷入以物易物的北方諸政權。南方自三國時期的東吳以來，後續又有東晉、劉宋、蕭齊、蕭梁、陳等政權，這些以南京為首都的政權被統稱為「六朝」。由於仰賴長江天險保護，南方受到戰火波及較小，尚能維繫貨幣經濟型態。

但是東漢末年起，伴隨不穩定的政治局勢，貨幣的供給和品質大幅降低。六朝政權也面臨錢幣不足，甚至是缺少鑄幣所需的銅礦。按照時代先後，東晉僅有短暫鑄造「沈郎錢」；宋的官方和民間則興盛鑄錢，品質卻極為低落，導致通貨膨脹；齊則選擇不鑄造貨幣，讓國家陷入通貨緊縮；梁再度興起鑄幣；陳則鑄造兩種貨幣而已。上述政權鑄造貨幣的共同點在於，以劣質和成分不足的原料鑄造面額大於實質價值的「虛值大錢」掠奪民間財富。這些外型被戲稱為「鵝眼錢」的劣幣，重量往往不足一克，甚至能輕盈到浮在水上。

發源於西漢的五銖錢，歷經南北朝大分裂和短暫統一的隋朝的混亂貨幣政策後，民間已喪失對於五銖錢的信任。因此建立唐朝的唐高祖李淵，決定鑄造「開元通寶」取代五銖錢。就此長達七百多年歷史的五銖錢走入歷史，開啟中國貨幣以「通寶」命名的新階段。