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<p>[QUOTE=&quot;TuckHard, post: 5338452, member: 102653&quot;]I&#039;m not an expert on the period or anything, but I may be able to help answer some of the questions. The coins were cast rather than struck, meaning the coin mold was engraved and metal poured in to it, rather than using an engraved die to strike the coin flan and leave the design as most ancient Western coins are made. Making them via cast allowed for cheap production and massive scale. The square hole is related to the production method; it allowed the coins to be put onto a bar after being cast and having the rough edges filed away without the coins spinning. It also allowed for merchants to string the coins together for use in larger purchases, so it was accepted and useful to all parties involved. You have the image right side up, by the way. The coin is read right to left; <i>huo quan</i>, meaning five quan. Wang Mang, the ruler at the time, was known for his numerous monetary reforms led by him and these coins were a part of it. I don&#039;t know much about the reforms but there is a good bit of records about it available. I wouldn&#039;t really know the reason why there is no design, but it is common on all Chinese coins to only have script like this. I would guess that it is tough to get good attractive designs to display properly after casting.[/QUOTE]</p><p><br /></p>

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