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1 Cash - Wang Mang Second reform
| Issuer | China (ancient) |
|---|---|
| Year | 9-14 |
| Type | Standard circulation coin |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Obverse description | Cast bronze cash coin with a central square hole flanked by four Chinese seal-script (Zhuanshu) ideograms arranged radially in the four cardinal positions around the perforation, reading clockwise: 小泉直一 (Xiao Quan Zhi Yi, meaning 'Small Coin, Value One'). The characters are rendered in raised relief within plain inner and outer rims. The field surface exhibits the characteristic flat, unadorned style of Wang Mang-era coinage, with no additional decorative elements. |
|---|---|
| Obverse script | Log in to see details |
| Obverse lettering | 小泉直一 (Translation: Xiao Quan Zhi Yi — Small Coin / Value 1) |
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| Additional information |
Wang Mang's monetary reforms are among the most chaotic episodes in Chinese coinage history. His second reform, enacted in 10 AD, introduced a bewildering multi-denomination system that the population largely refused to accept — merchants continued using the banned Wu Zhu coins in defiance, and Wang Mang responded with threats of enslavement for violators. The 1 Cash sat at the absolute bottom of this failed hierarchy, a denomination so small it was almost economically meaningless within the system Wang Mang had constructed.
His currency experiments collapsed along with his Xin dynasty in 23 AD.