Western Han Dynasty. Han Wudi 漢武帝。141-87BC. Shanglin Sanguan (上林三官) Wu Zhu 五銖 Clay mother mould。Extraordinarily large specimen with 20 fully intact wu zhu impressions. Very rare more so in this size and condition. This extraordinary specimen is an uncommonly large Wu Zhu mother mould used during the Han Dynasty of ancient China to create impressions for casting of coins. Unlike normal moulds, mother moulds were meant to create multiple production moulds hence the protruded and sharp details. Once used to a reasonable frequency, they are destroyed and broken off. Hence whilst smaller and crude mould pieces exists, mother moulds are very rare more so with a significant number of clear impressions still intact such as this specimen. The coin minted from these were the earlier Wu Zhu of the Western Han Dynasty. This is recognized by the sharp 五 strokes that made them almost triangular as opposed to the more rounded curves of the later Western and Eastern Han issues.
@Loong Siew Very interesting. I knew about Chinese mother coins, but I didn't know about mother molds.
Mother coins are model coins used to impress on moulds to create coins when molten metal is poured in. Mother moulds are quiet similar and mostly used in ancient China to actually impress and make moulds from soft materials such as clay or sand to mass produce coins
Thanks.. Mother moulds are usually engraved or carved by hand.. Then they are pressed on soft material like sand and clay..put to furnace and hardened
NOT a Mother Mold, but a Baby... China Wu Zhu coin clay mold unearthed in SanMenXia City in HeNan Province full obverse impression partial second impression probly H-8.6 110-90 BCE
Cool.. It's a full intact impression.. Looks Western Han to me too. Definitely original! Nice piece..
@Loong Siew Very fascinating posts in the last few days - I have seen some of these coins in museums in China but don't own anything earlier than a couple of Tang dynasty coins. One curious, but cool, aspect of the coins is that for instance the character for "Wu" - 五 is still the same after all this time.
Yeah.. it remained largely the same up to the Sui Dynasty. Slight variations in the curve of the 五 differentiates Western vs Eastern Han..There are also other 銖 denominations as well until they were dropped entirely during the Tang
Thanks.. This one has quiet a number of coin impressions still intact.. It is impossible to find unbroken specimens as they are officially broken off after use as a counterfeiting prevention action.
