At the end of the Western Han Dynasty, Wang Mang took control of the real power, changed "Han" to "Xin", and ascended the throne as the emperor of the new dynasty. However, the new dynasty only existed in history for 15 years before it perished. Although the New Dynasty only existed for 15 years, the coins circulated during this period were highly praised by collectors.
Why are the coins minted by Wang Mang so popular? Today we will find out the secret together.
Wang Mang himself
Wang Mang's family was a very powerful relative at the time. Wang Mang relied on his aunt's favor in the palace to be promoted successively, promoted to a higher position, and gradually took control of the court. the core power of the central government. In the first year of the founding, Wang Mang accepted Liu Ying's abdication and proclaimed himself emperor, changing the country's name to "Xin". After the establishment of the new dynasty, Wang Mang began to carry out comprehensive social reforms.
Wang Mang imitated Zhou Li's "reform from ancient times" and implemented the New Deal. During his time in power, he carried out four currency system reforms.
Wang Mang’s currency reform
The first currency reform was in the second year of residence, when the wrong knife, contract knife, and Daquan fifty were minted in parallel with the five baht;
The second time, in the second year of the founding of the country, the wrong sword, contract sword and five baht were abolished, and Koizumi Naichi and Oizumi fifty were parallel;
The third time, in the second year of the founding of the country, treasure goods were sold System, there are five items, six names, and twenty-eight items, and the complicated names and levels cause confusion in the currency system;
The fourth time, in the first year of Tianfeng, not only small and big money, but also cloth and currency were used.
Jincuo Dao
"One knife equals five thousand" is commonly known as Jincao Dao. It is cast from bronze and has a round square hole in the shape of the knife and coin, which looks like our current Use the key. There are two words "一刀" on its upper ring, which are inlaid with gold and will not fall off, which is difficult to achieve even with modern craftsmanship. The blade is molded with the Chinese characters "平五千" in Chinese characters, which means it is worth five thousand dollars.
The wrong knife has always been loved by coin collectors. Nowadays, the wrong knife in good condition can be sold for about 20,000.
National Treasure Jin Gui Zhi Wan
The shape of "National Treasure Jin Kui Zhi Wan" is very unique. Its upper part is the same as the shape of a round square hole coin like a gold staggered knife. It is engraved with There are the words "National Treasure Golden Chamber"; the lower part is different from the golden knife. It is a square with the word "Zhiwan" engraved in the middle of the square. According to the "Ancient Coin Ceremony", "the national treasure Jin Gui Zhi Wan" is the best among coins and can be traded for thousands of taels of gold.
And it is said that only two of this kind of coins exist in good condition, so each one can be said to be expensive. It is one of the most valuable ancient coins in China and the most valuable among ancient Chinese coins. A currency with a high reputation.
Daquan Fifty
Daquan Fifty is my country's first commemorative currency pioneered by Wang Mang. Wang Mang changed the Ji weight to Ji value and created the original decimal system for my country's currency, which solved the long-standing inconvenience of conversion in trade.
At the same time, it is the currency with the longest circulation and the largest mintage among the currencies minted in Wang Mang's new dynasty. Although it seems to have a single shape, it has many versions and rich connotations. In recent years, new varieties have been continuously released, especially those with patterns, auspicious words and animal patterns on the back.
Currency
The coins made by Wang Mang are also praised for one thing, that is, the characters on the currency. Wang Mang's coins adopt hanging needle seal script. Hanging needle seal script is a type of small seal script, also called vertical needle seal script. It is a variant of seal script. Hanging needle seal script refers to "vertical drawings with the pen drawn back and the sharp edge coming out", and the sharp edge is like a steel needle hanging upside down.
The currency is the product of Wang Mang’s fourth currency reform. Most of the characters engraved on it are in hanging needle seal script, and there are nearly a hundred types of currency. There are not many of this kind of currency handed down, so it is quite large. precious.
Wang Mang's currency reform violated economic laws. The complicated monetary policy caused serious problems in the circulation of currency at that time, and eventually failed, leading to the demise of the new dynasty.
However, the currency of Wang Mang's period is excellent in terms of writing, smelting, design, etc., with unique ingenuity. It is a rare treasure among ancient currencies and has always been highly praised and sought after by collectors; The new dynasty was founded in a very short period of time, and most versions of the new dynasty currency are extremely rare, so they have extremely high collection value and appreciation value.