Coin banliang

A banliang 半兩 coin, most probably from the Qin Dynasty (221–206 B.C.) or the early Western Han Dynasty (206 B.C.– A.D. 8 ). The banliang coins take their name from two letters in the seal script on the obverse, ban 半 and liang 兩, which together mean “half of a liang“. Liang was an archaic weight measure consisting of 24 zhu 銖, equivalent to 16 grams today. Early coins of this type probably had a weight of 12 zhu or 8 grams. However, the banliang coins that still exist today come in many varieties, differing in size, weight, and type of inscription on the obverse of the coin, making accurate classification and dating difficult and sometimes impossible. They were used as a monetary standard for at least three centuries. Archaeological evidence shows that banliang coins were issued as early as the Warring States Period, most probably in the State of Qin from 378 B.C. onward. Traditionally, this type of coin is associated with King Zheng of Qin (Qin Zheng wang 秦政王) (259–210 B.C.) who unified the Chinese territory into a single empire in 221 B.C. and became the first Chinese emperor Qinshi Huang 秦始皇 (reigned 221–210 B.C.). During his reign, he ordered the standardisation of measurements, writing, and money, which made banliang coins the standard currency in circulation. They remained in use for a century, throughout the ascendancy of the Western Han dynasty that followed the fall of Qin, or at least until 119 B.C., when they were replaced by a new coinage standard called wuzhu 五銖 or “five zhu“. (MG)