Four Chinese characters Da Quan Wu Shi ("Great coin, 50 (cash)"), single rim inside the central hole, raised outside rim / Blank, stout inner and outer rims. 27mm, 7.80grams. BM Chinese coins (Poole) #345ff; Hartill 9.1; Gratzer/Fishman "The Numismatic Legacy of Wang Mang" C2.6/2.8. 

First issue, cast 7-9 AD by Wang Mang as "Acting Emperor". It remained in circulation until ca. 20 AD.

Wang Mang (c. 45 BC - 6 October 23 AD), was a Han dynasty official and consort kin who seized the Chinese imperial throne from the Liu family and founded the Xin (or Hsin, referring to either the site of Wang's first fiefdom or meaning "renewed") dynasty. He ruled from 9 AD to 23 AD. Some historians have traditionally viewed Wang as a usurper, while others have portrayed him as a visionary and selfless social reformer. Though a learned Confucian scholar who sought to recreate the harmonious society he saw in the classics, his efforts ended in chaos. One of his more famous deeds included a creation of an overly complicated coinage made of numerous denominations (of which this coin is a part), which led to much confusion among the people and, ultimately, to the rebellion which ended Wang Mang's reign.

SKU  x12411-w71088