Two Chinese characters Wu Zhu (=5 Zhu), no rims / Crude "san" (or perhaps "Wang") left of the hole. 20mm, 1.65 grams. Schjoth #306 var; Hartill 10.28 var.

Very crude type with a disjointed "Zhu". Seems to be a 5th-6th century cast, not an earlier "chiselled" issue. Rare.

The Southern and Northern Dynasties (420-589 AD) was a period in the history of China, following the Jin Dynasty (265-420) and followed by the Sui Dynasty. It was an age of civil war and political disunity. However it was also a time of flourishing in the arts and culture, advancement in technology, and the spread of foreign Mahayana Buddhism and native Daoism. Distinctive Chinese Buddhism was also matured during this time and shaped by the northern and southern dynasties alike. The establishment of the Sui Dynasty and the invasion of the south reunified the whole of China by the end of the 6th century AD. This coin is unconditionally guaranteed to be authentic