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<p>[QUOTE=&quot;Parthicus, post: 4856150, member: 81887&quot;]Okay, I&#039;m not an expert in Chinese coins (we do have a couple of them here, but I guess they&#039;re asleep right now) but I&#039;ll contribute what little I know.</p><p><br /></p><p>#1.&nbsp; Cowries were indeed used as currency in ancient China (among many other places), as early as the second millennium BC, but these don&#039;t look that old.&nbsp; I&#039;m pretty sure they are just modern cowrie shells.&nbsp; I have no idea why the label attributes them to the Wang Mang era- cowries were replaced by metal coinage long before then.</p><p><br /></p><p>#2. Ban Liang (Half Liang) coins were made, in many varieties, from about 350 to 118 BC.&nbsp; I can&#039;t tell the exact variety of yours, but common types are only worth a couple of dollars.</p><p><br /></p><p>#3. Wu Zhu (Five Zhu) coins were first made in 118 BC and continued, in many varieties, intermittently for nearly 700 years.&nbsp; Common varieties are worth a couple of dollars.</p><p><br /></p><p>#4 and #5.&nbsp; Wang Mang (9-23 AD) was an interesting ruler.&nbsp; He instituted sweeping social reforms and ordered several currency changes, in his attempt to create a perfectly harmonious society.&nbsp; Spoiler: It didn&#039;t end well for him, or for a lot of other people.&nbsp; #4 is a Huo Quan (Wealth Coin), issued starting 14 AD.&nbsp; #5 is a Da Quan Wu Shi (Large Coin Fifty), issued 7-14 AD (Wang Mang was regent for a child emperor from 7 AD, before overthrowing him in 9 AD).&nbsp; Many varieties exist, common varieties are worth a couple of bucks... I think you see a pattern here.&nbsp;&nbsp; Here&#039;s a photo of some coins of Wang Mang from my collection, which includes both these types plus others:</p><p>[ATTACH=full]1172617[/ATTACH]</p><p>I don&#039;t see anything very valuable in your group, but still a very interesting and historic little collection.&nbsp; As for the bowl... I would keep it on my kitchen table to hold fresh fruits.&nbsp; But I don&#039;t collect bowls, so my valuation may be off.[/QUOTE]</p><p><br /></p>

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