Date: Wang Mang Reign Period (AD 9-23)
Dimensions: Length 73.4 mm, Diameter 27.61 mm
Material: Copper, gold

• Object Type：
  • COINS
• Location：
  • Chinese Numismatics Gallery
• Tag：
  • knife coin wang mang copper gold

This coin, also known as ‘Jin Cuo Dao (knife inlaid with gold)’ or ‘Cuo Dao (knife money)’ was cast during the first momentary reform in the 2nd year after Wang Mang took power (AD 7). This coin has a unique form, with a round head and a square hole on the top and a knife shape at the bottom. The head part is inlaid with Yi Dao above and below the square hole separately, while the lower part is inlaid with the characters Ping Wu Qian, meaning this coin is worth five thousand small copper coins. Wang Mang carried out monetary reforms four times successively during his reign, all of which ended in failure. Despite of that, the coins cast during this period feature exquisite workmanship and elegant calligraphy, highly cherished by coin collectors.