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WESTERN HAN: Han Wudi, 141-87 BC, lead 3000 zhu (149.1g), VF

Currency:USD Category:Coins & Paper Money / Chinese Coins - Ancient Start Price:900.00 USD Estimated At:1,000.00 - 1,500.00 USD
WESTERN HAN: Han Wudi, 141-87 BC, lead 3000 zhu (149.1g), VF
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[?]Live Online Auction Starts In 2025 Sep 19 @ 09:00 (UTC-07:00 : PDT/MST)
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WESTERN HAN: Han Wudi, 141-87 BC, lead 3000 zhu (149.1g), Dragon type of bai jin san ping, the round shape was meant to represent the sky or heavens and, consequently, the coin had the pattern design of a dragon described by one source as having a "long mouth, long neck, one horn, and flying through the clouds"; the reverse of the dragon coin is concave, with a circle of pseudo-Greek legends around the periphery, the meaning of which is unknown, and a square stamp on reverse reading shao or shao fu, graded 'Genuine' by GBCA Grading Company, a nice example with bold legends, VF, ex Dr. Dirk Löer Collection. The "Bai Jin San Pin" (White metal three kinds), according to the Records of the Grand Historian, was introduced in 119 BC during the reign of Emperor Wu as both the Han-Xiongnu War and the territorial expansion of the Han Empire caused the imperial government to desperately increase their revenues. Among the reasons why the government started issuing this new type of currency was to remedy the inflation caused by the excessive issuance of bad money, but the Bai Jin San Pin would prove to be an insufficient solution. The Records of the Grand Historian claim that the new "Bai Jin" (white metal) money was a mixture of silver and tin. The term San Pin refers to the fact that it was a series of three coins with different denominations: Dragon 3000 cash coins, Horse 500 cash coins and Tortoise 300 cash coins.