Two large Chinese characters Ban Liang ("Half an ounce"), large thick characters (lower part of liang is like a sideways "E"), outer rim / Blank, no rims. 24-mm, 2.59 grams. BM Chinese coins (Poole) #256ff; Hartill #7.29.

Coins with the outer rim, like this piece, are rare. Cast c.136-119 BC.

A Chinese ounce (liang) weighs about 16 grams. The earliest "Ban Liangs" weighed half that much - 8 grams, but the later pieces, like this one, weighed much less. This coin is from the last issue of Ban Liangs.

The Han Dynasty (206 BC - 220 CE) was the second imperial dynasty of China, preceded by the Qin Dynasty (221-206 BCE) and succeeded by the Three Kingdoms (220-265 CE). It was founded by the peasant rebel leader Liu Bang, known posthumously as Emperor Gaozu of Han. It was briefly interrupted by the Xin Dynasty (9-23 CE) of the former regent Wang Mang. This interregnum separates the Han into two periods: the Western Han (206 BCE9 CE) and Eastern Han (25-220 CE). Spanning over four centuries, the period of the Han Dynasty is considered a golden age in Chinese history. To this day, China's majority ethnic group refers to itself as the "Han people".This coin is unconditionally guaranteed to be authentic

SKU   x12300-w70794