Hi guys, I've recently been given these coins (bought for a pound from a car boot sale) and have spent the best part of an afternoon trying to find out a bit more about them, any help with information or clarity on these coins would be very much appreciated! The first (and largest) of these is this: I'm fairly certain that this is a Japanese 100 Mon or 'Tempo' Coin from between 1835-1870, however there are quite a few differences between mine and pictures that I've been able to find. There is no mintmark on the edges (which look cast and filed down) and its got a whitish build-up over its surfaces, is this patina or paint? The next two are these: A good look on google has led me to think that these are two 1 Van Coins from Vietnam, dating back to Emperor Minh-Mang's reign between 1820-1838 (Best info I got was from here http://art-hanoi.com/toda/20.html#227 (coins 227 & 228) both are subtly different - like it says on the site linked the left one is smaller has a look and feel like copper and the larger one has a different look and feel, like the lead copper mix variety described on the site. The last coin is proving the most difficult to find out more about: From lots of time on google I think that what I've got is a 1 Cash coin from the Northern Song Dynasty, specifically the one listed as 'Yuan Feng Tong Bao 1078-1085' on this site: http://www.history.ucsb.edu/faculty/roberts/coins/Chinese coins/NSongtwo.html Asides from this I don't know much more about this one, it looks a little crudely-made though with the mintage flaw bottom left of the coin. Spending time on an area of coins that prior to today I knew next to nothing about I've found that coins like these can be one of three things: the real deal, period counterfeits and modern forgeries, and even with the (albeit limited!) research I've done I know little more about these coins than what I've put. I know they are a real niche thing but more information on these would be much appreciated! Thanks for reading guys!
Not a fan of that "patina" on the Mon. I can't tell about the caligraphy much because of it, but Japanese usually had excellent workmanship. If the characters do not seem crisp that is another warning sign. Regarding the cash, what bothers me is the round center holes. Both cultures used square rods to keep these straight, so I would lean either to provincial issues or dirt that has not been removed. Use a toothpick to see if the dirt comes out. If it does, I would say they are authentic. If not, I would need to pull out my references to double check them. Btw, as to value, the tempo mon usually goes for $8-10 in a pleasant VF condition, the others I literally have strings full of. So the other three about a buck in total, the mon if painted or not authentic not worth much. So, a Pound out of a boot sale? About what they are worth. Still, it got you reading about coins you didn't know much about, right? Maybe sparked an interest? That is worth a Pound or better of fun right there, right? If you are interested in these more, let us know and we can give you the best references and dealers to talk to. David Hartill, your countryman, wrote the best English language book on Chinese Cash. An American wrote the best one for Vietnamese cash, but you can't win them all.
Thanks for the reply! The more I've looked at it and the more I've read now I think you're right that the Mon isn't the real McCoy - the casting is a bit crude (the round centre hole is caused by metal rather than grot) and the white marks look very similar to old worn-down paint. I'm guessing, but I think that the Mon is either an old period forgery or a reproduction that was painted up and used as a decoration or a lucky charm maybe? The Chinese cash's round centre hole is again caused by the metal casting not being perfect, the calligraphy on the coin isn't perfect either. Again, this is a guess but because it doesn't seem as 'modern' as the Mon, I think that it may be another period forgery or just a poorly-made provisional example of the coin? More research might be due I think! The Vietnamese coins's centre holes are being rounded by a build-up of Grot though, the larger of the two coins has a pronounced built-up of the stuff especially on its reverse (of which I can see some details peeping though). The calligraphy looks a lot crisper and well rendered on these two and the casting is a lot more refined. Another guess, but I think that these are the real deal based on these things. I never thought that these had much in the way of value, but the clarification is much appreciated! You're definitely right in that I had my values worth in terms of getting some really interesting coins and learning a lot more about an area I had next to no knowledge of before. The references of those books would be much appreciated too if that's not any trouble! Based on the fact that they don't have much in terms of value, and that the cash are quite grotty, I'm going to try giving them a clean by soaking them in distilled water to see if I can bring out any of their details. Is this something you would recommend? I'm not sure how successful that this will be but I think that most of the dirt is just surface-based and will hopefully bring out these coins a bit more without too much effort, fingers crossed!
If you want to clean these, I usually just dry clean, (hard plastic bristle brush), first, to see if I like the look. For cash coins, I usually do not clean in water, but there is nothing wrong if you want to. David Hartill is the author of Cast Chinese Coins. Its a great book for all Chinese Cash. Many dealer carry it, for around $40-50. For dealers, Frank Robinson has always carried these here in the states. You can check his previous world coin list online. Scott Semans as well, and Bob Reis. These are all US dealers unfortunately, as I do not know any UK based ones unfortunately. I wish I did.
Cheers again and thank you for the information, I'll be sure to check it out! What would you recommend for cleaning the coins by the way?
I go to the drug store and buy a denture brush. These are harder bristles than normal and more of them than a regular toothbrush. This is usually enough to knock loose drt off the surface. Most of the time this is all that is needed for copper cash coins. For iron, sometimes these take more medieval tactics, but that is more of a specialized discussion. You are not likely to run across iron cash by accident. I suppose if it did not clean up as well as you want, some distilled water would not hurt. The reason I didn't soak them is I kind of like the contrast with the dirt in the fields and the characters highlighted against it. If you don't, they are your coins so feel free to soak them.
