Item number: A1077

Year: AD 581-600

Material: Bronze

Size: 22.9 x 23.0 x 1.1 mm

Weight: 2.75 g

Provenance:

1. Noonans 2022

2. D. L. F. Sealy Collection

This is a “Wu Zhu” coin minted during the reign of Emperor Wen of the Sui Dynasty, often referred to in historical records as the “Kaihuang Wu Zhu” or “Zhiyang Wu Zhu.” The coin follows the typical square-holed design, and compared to the various “Wu Zhu” coins minted during the Han Dynasty, the Sui Dynasty version features notably thicker and more pronounced outer rims on both the obverse and reverse sides.

On the obverse side of the coin, the characters “Wu Zhu” are inscribed in seal script on the right and left, respectively. Notably, the intersecting diagonal strokes of the character “Wu” are relatively straight, contrasting with earlier “Wu Zhu” coins from before the Sui Dynasty, where the diagonal strokes typically exhibit more curvature. The reverse side of the coin is plain, without any inscriptions or designs, and the entire coin has a greenish patina. The reverse also features a thick, square inner rim at the center, which is a distinctive characteristic of Sui Dynasty “Wu Zhu” coins.

In AD 581, Yang Jian, originally a powerful minister of the Northern Zhou Dynasty, successfully usurped the throne, establishing the Sui Dynasty and setting the era name “Kaihuang.” After becoming emperor, Yang Jian sought to eliminate the inconsistencies in coin weights that had arisen during the Southern and Northern Dynasties, where various regimes issued coins of differing weights. He ordered the minting of new “Wu Zhu” coins to standardize the currency. However, despite these efforts, coins from previous dynasties continued to circulate among the populace, and the practice of private coin minting persisted.

The situation worsened in AD 604 when Yang Guang, Yang Jian’s successor known as Emperor Yang of Sui, ascended the throne. His extravagant ambitions led to extensive military campaigns and massive construction projects, resulting in the minting of large quantities of inferior-quality “Wu Zhu” coins. In AD 621, Emperor Gaozu of Tang, who founded the Tang Dynasty after overthrowing the Sui, ordered the minting of a new currency, the “Kaiyuan Tongbao,” thereby ending the long history of using “Wu Zhu” coins that had persisted since the Han Dynasty.

物件編號: A1077

年代: 公元 581-600 年

材質: 青銅

尺寸: 22.9 x 23.0 x 1.1 mm

重量: 2.75 g

來源:

1. 諾南斯 2022

2. 大衛.萊斯利.福布斯.西利舊藏

這是隋朝開國皇帝隋文帝任內鑄造的五銖錢，文獻稱其為「開皇五銖」或「置樣五銖」。錢幣形制為典型的方孔錢，相較漢代鑄造的各種五銖錢，隋朝的五銖錢正反兩面皆有明顯厚實的外廓。

錢幣正面的右左兩側，分別以篆書鐫刻「五銖」兩字，其中「五」相交的兩道斜線筆劃較為筆直，相形之下，隋代以前的五銖錢斜線筆劃曲度較明顯。錢幣背面為光背，沒有任何圖案和文字，通體為青綠色。同時背面中央有一個厚實的方形內廓，亦是隋代五銖的一大特色。

公元581年，原為北周權臣的楊堅成功篡位，將國號改為「隋」和制定年號「開皇」。楊堅成為皇帝後，決定根絕過往南北朝時期，不同政權發行的貨幣重量不一的問題，命令鑄造新的五銖錢。然而前朝的錢幣在民間仍不能杜絕，亦有私鑄錢幣的歪風。雪上加霜的是，公元604年，繼位的隋煬帝楊廣好大喜功，大舉對外征戰和對內興建土木，鑄造出大量的劣質五銖錢。公元621年，取代隋建立唐朝的唐高祖，命令鑄造新式貨幣「開元通寶」，就此結束漢代以來使用五銖錢的歷史。