This coin is the same size and design as Krause China SU # 445a but is bronze instead of copper Thanks for your help Richard
I do not have the Krauss publication to refer to and also do not collect these types of coins so take the following comments for what they are worth. The Chinese refer to these machine-made coins as tong ban or tong yuan. As far as I know, all of these coins were made of copper. None were made of bronze. Bronze was used during the prior 2,500 years when coins were cast in molds. If your coin is really made of bronze then it is not authentic because it would have been cast as opposed to being struck. According to a Chinese reference book I have, this coin was struck in Henan Province and is the largest denomination tong yuan ever made. The book states that the coin has the quality of "red copper" (hong tong). To give you an idea of what the Chinese mean by "red copper", please see these two coins from Xinjiang Province. The color of your coin should be similar. Finally, according to the Chinese reference book, this coin is rated a "3" on a scale of "15". The lower the number, the rarer the coin. A coin with a rating of "3" would be very rare so I would be very suspicious as to its authenticity. Gary
