The Biblical Widow’s Mite is among the most familiar, yet most mysterious, coins of antiquity. Truth be told, we don’t know exactly what it was since there are many issues of the Judaean Prutah. There were many issues which even included those of Pontius Pilate.

Coponius (A.D. 6 to 9)
Marcus Ambibulus (A.D. 9 to 12)
Annius Rufus (A.D. 12 to 15)
Valerius Gratus (A.D. 15 to 26)
Pontius Pilate (A.D. 26 to 36)
Marullus (A.D. 37 to 41)
Cuspius Dadus (A.D. 44 to 46)
Tiberius Alexander (A.D. 46 to 48)
Ventidius Cumanus (A.D. 48 to 54)
Antonius Felix (A.D. 52 to 60)
Porcius Festus (A.D. 60 to 62)
Albinus (A.D. 62 to 64)
Gessius Florus (A.D. 64 to 66)

The New Testament is where the widow’s offering is described in the Gospels of Mark (12:41-44) and Luke (21:1-4).

And he sat down opposite the treasury and watched the people putting money into the offering box. Many rich people put in large sums. And a poor widow came and put in two small copper coins, which make a farthing. And he called his disciples to him and said to them, “Truly, I say to you, this poor widow has put in more than all those who are contributing to the offering box. For they all contributed out of their abundance, but she out of her poverty has put in everything she had, all she had to live on.” (Mark 12:41-44)

Jesus looked up and saw the rich putting their gifts into the offering box, and he saw a poor widow put in two small copper coins. And he said, “Truly, I tell you, this poor widow has put in more than all of them. For they all contributed out of their abundance, but she out of her poverty put in all she had to live on.” (Luke 21:1-4)

In these memorable passages, the coins are described only as small and copper, with no further details as to their identification. This is not a surprise given the variety of issues of the Prutah. Many assume they may have been issues of the Judaean King Alexander Jannaeus (103-76 BC) simply because they are the most common. Certainly, they might have even been those as lat as Pontius Pilate.

Wang Many 50 Shu

It was the monetary reforms of Wang Mang (王莽)(6/9-23AD), who made a move to establish his own dynasty, Xin, intending to replace the Han. The economy went into a chaotic period between 7 and 14AD. This centered once again upon the introduction of a new coin that was overvalued dramatically relative to its metal content. In the year 10 AD, Wang Mang was desperate for money and he instituted an unprecedented tax—the income tax first such record of any direct tax of this nature. The rate was 10 percent of profits, for professionals and skilled labor. Previously, all taxes were either poll tax (head tax) or property tax. Wang Mang was thus the founder of a short-lived Xin (Hsin) Dynasty (9-23AD). His father's half-sister had become the empress of China within the Han Dynasty. Upon the death of the Emperor, she became the Empress Dowager which meant prestige for her family.

Her son was weak and showed little interest in governing the empire. Wang Mang was his first cousin. In 8BC, Wang Mang was appointed regent. The emperor died 6-7BC without an heir. The new Emperor Ai was not related to the family of Wang Mang and thus accepted his resignation. Yet Emperor Ai died about 1BC. The Empress Dowager summoned Wang Mang and appointed him regent. Wang Mang installed his own daughter as Empress with the new Emperor pIing. On February 3rd, 6AD, pIing died. Some now accused Wang Mang of poisoning him. Wang now selected the youngest of potential heirs, a boy who had just been born in SAD and was not actually enthroned, and Wang Mang assumed the position of acting emperor. He now claimed that heaven was directing that a new dynasty should reign and he officially declared his Xin (Hsin) Dynasty on January 10th, 6/9AD.

Nature conspired against Wang Mang for in 11AD, the Yellow River flooded killing many that caused a great famine and a plague. This led to civil unrest as a sign of heaven. Peasants migrated south and banded into larger groups. One of these groups rose, known as the Red Eyebrows, they were strong enough that they defeated one of Wang's armies. This led to widespread rebellions even in the capital. They stormed the palace and in a grand last stand, about 1,000 palace guards defended Wang to the last man. The rebels then killed Wang Mang bringing an end to his brief dreams of creating a dynasty.

The Bronze reform of Wang Mang

It was the monetary reforms of Wang Mang (王莽)(6/9-23AD), who made a move to establish his own dynasty, Xin, intending to replace the Han. The economy went into a chaotic period between 7 and 14AD. This centered once again upon the introduction of a new coin that was overvalued dramatically relative to its metal content. In the year 10 AD, Wang Mang was desperate for money and he instituted an unprecedented tax—the income tax first such record of any direct tax of this nature. The rate was 10 percent of profits, for professionals and skilled labor. Previously, all taxes were either poll tax (head tax) or property tax. Wang Mang was thus the founder of a short-lived Xin (Hsin) Dynasty (9-23AD). His father's half-sister had become the empress of China during the Han Dynasty. Upon the death of the Emperor, she became the Empress Dowager which meant prestige for her family.

Her son was weak and showed little interest in governing the empire. Wang Mang was his first cousin. In 8BC, Wang Mang was appointed regent. The emperor died 6-7BC without an heir. The new Emperor Ai was not related to the family of Wang Mang and thus accepted his resignation. Yet Emperor Ai died about 1BC. The Empress Dowager summoned Wang Mang and appointed him regent. Wang Mang installed his own daughter as Empress with the new Emperor pIing. On February 3rd, 6AD, pIing died. Some now accused Wang Mang of poisoning him. Wang now selected the youngest of potential heirs, a boy who had just been born in SAD and was not actually enthroned, and Wang Mang assumed the position of acting emperor. He now claimed that heaven was directing that a new dynasty should reign and he officially declared his Xin (Hsin) Dynasty on January 10th, 6/9AD.

Nature conspired against Wang Mang for in 11AD, the Yellow River flooded killing many that caused a great famine and a plague. This led to civil unrest as a sign of heaven. Peasants migrated south and banded into larger groups. One of these groups rose, known as the Red Eyebrows, they were strong enough that they defeated one of Wang's armies. This led to widespread rebellions even in the capital. They stormed the palace and in a grand last stand, about 1,000 palace guards defended Wang to the last man. The rebels then killed Wang Mang bringing an end to his brief dreams of creating a dynasty.

Wu Zhu (Chinese: 五銖) is a type of Chinese cash coin produced from the Han dynasty in 118 BC when they replaced the earlier San Zhu (三銖; "Three Zhu") cash coins, which had replaced the Ban Liang (半兩) cash coins a year prior until they themselves were replaced by the Kaiyuan Tongbao (開元通寳) cash coins of the Tang dynasty in 621 AD. The name Wu Zhu literally means "five zhu" which is a measuring unit officially weighing about 4 grams however in reality the weights and sizes of Wu Zhu cash coins varied over the years. During the Han dynasty, a very large quantity of Wu Zhu coins were cast but their production continued under subsequent dynasties until the Sui.

The production of Wu Zhu cash coins was briefly suspended by Wang Mang during the Xin Dynasty but after the re-establishment of the Han Dynasty, the production of Wu Zhu cash coins resumed and continued to be manufactured long after the fall of the Eastern Han Dynasty for another 500 years. Minting was definitively ended in 618 with the establishment of the Tang dynasty. Wu Zhu cash coins were cast from 118 BC to 618 AD having a span of 736 years, which is the longest for any coin in human history.

TANG DYNASTY

The coinage of the Southern Tang dynasty (Traditional Chinese: 南唐貨幣) consisted mostly of bronze cash coins while the coinages of previous dynasties still circulated in the Southern Tang most of the cash coins issued during this period were cast in relation to these being valued as a multiple of them.

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