Item number: A1284

Year: AD 10

Material: Bronze

Size: 53.91 x 23.9 mm

Weight: 9.64 g

Provenance: Da Chen Stamps and Coins Collection 2016

This is a “Da Bu Huang Qian” currency, introduced in the 2nd year of the Xin dynasty (10 AD), during the reign of Wang Mang, who usurped the Han dynasty to establish the Xin dynasty. This currency was a product of his third monetary reform, which introduced a complex system called the “Bao Huo Zhi” currency system. The “Da Bu Huang Qian” was one of the fabric-based coins implemented under this new system

The coin is made of bronze and has an ancient, elegant appearance, resembling the fabric coins of the Spring and Autumn and Warring States periods. The obverse features a round hole at the top, with a vertical line running through the centre. On either side of the vertical line are the four seal characters “大布黃千” (“Da Bu Huang Qian”), which are read in the order from right to left, top to bottom.

Fabric coins were metal currency models based on spade-shaped agricultural tools, referred to in historical texts as “鎛” (bó) or the homophone “布” (bù). As the first metal currency in Chinese history, fabric coins are often seen in the logos of financial departments and banking institutions in places such as China, Hong Kong, and Taiwan. Fabric coins evolved from the late Shang dynasty through the Warring States period, and ceased to be minted during the Qin dynasty due to the implementation of a unified currency system. However, during the Xin dynasty, Wang Mang revived the use of fabric coins as part of his retrogressive reforms, making them one of the circulating currencies of the time.

Wang Mang’s “Bao Huo Zhi” currency system created many different types of coins made from various materials, shapes, and denominations. Among them, the fabric coins alone were divided into ten categories, with the “Da Bu Huang Qian” being one of the more commonly unearthed types. “Da Bu” is the name of the coin, while “Huang Qian” refers to its value, which is set at one thousand. The seal script inscribed on the fabric coins is renowned for its exceptional calligraphy, regarded as a masterpiece of seal script through the ages. The style is dignified and elevated, elegant and refined, often considered a divine work of art. It has earned lasting fame, and collectors throughout history have universally praised it, regarding it as a rare and priceless treasure.

物件編號: A1284

年代: 公元 10 年

材質: 青銅

尺寸: 53.91 x 23.9 mm

重量: 9.64 g

來源: 大城郵幣社 2016

這是一件新莽始建國2年(公元10年)所推行的「大布黃千」貨幣，是篡奪漢室建立新朝的王莽推動第三次貨幣改革時的產物，此次改革創造了名為「寶貨制」的繁瑣幣制，而「大布黃千」便是在這個新幣制下所推行的其中一種布幣。

貨幣為青銅所製，錢體古雅，近似春秋戰國時期布幣，正面首部鑄有一圓孔，中間有一豎線，豎線兩側有著「大布黃千」四個篆字，其閱讀順序為由右至左、由上往下。

布幣是仿造鏟形農具的金屬錢幣，史書上寫作「鎛」或同音字「布」。由於布幣是中國歷史上第一種金屬貨幣，經常能在中國、香港和臺灣等地的財政部門和銀行機構標誌裡發現布幣。布幣從商朝末期發展到戰國時代，至秦代時因統一貨幣政策而不再鑄造，然而新朝時因為王莽以復古為名推行的改革讓布幣在這段期間重新成為流通貨幣之一。

王莽推行的「寶貨制」創造了許多不同材質、型態、單位的貨幣，光是當中的布幣便分十種，其中「大布黃千」為十種布幣中出土數量較多的一種，「大布」是貨幣名稱，「黃千」則是幣值，其幣值為一千。布錢上所書之篆文，書法之美，為歷代篆文之翹楚，其端嚴超拔，高逸秀雅，推為神品，名震千古歷代收藏家無不交口稱讚，視為稀世珍寶。