My wife got the attached coin in circulation some how. It looks like a Chinese Cash perhaps from the Ch'ing Dynasty. Can anyone tell me something about this coin?
I think this web site might be able to provide an explanation about your coin: http://www.calgarycoin.com/reference/china/china8.htm#kang hsi
Unfortunately, this is a modern machine-made reproduction of a Qing Dynasty cash coin made for feng shui and souvenir purposes. It is actually a copy of a special version of the kang xi tong bao coin cast in 1713 AD to celebrate the 60th birthday of Emperor Sheng Zu. If interested, I discuss the coin in detail at A Chinese Coin with the Powers of a Charm. Gary Correction: The coin is not a reproduction of the "special version" coin after all. It is a reproduction of the regular version of the coin.
Thanks to you guys for helping me out on this coin. Gary: How can you tell that it is a reproduction of a regular version of the coin made for feng shui and for souvenir purposes? I've attached the obverse upside-right. You can obviously tell my ignorance on chinese coins!
As you might expect, experience in having seen thousands of real Chinese coins before is the best guide. However, I can point out a few of the more obvious differences. If you look at an authentic cast coin, like the one I link to above, the top surface of the Chinese characters tend to be broad and very "flat". Compare that to the characters on the machine-made coins which have a much thinner and much "rounder" appearance. You cannot achieve such fineness with a crude casting process. This same "roundness" can be seen on the inner rim around the square hole on the machine-made coins. A cast coin will not have such a perfectly square and uniform inner hole and it will usually have excess metal on the inside as well as file marks. The field between the characters on machine-made coins is also not natural. It has purposely been made to have a "bumpy" appearance to make it look more like the rough surface of a cast coin. Finally, Chinese cash coins are made of bronze. The reproduction coins are made of brass or some other more modern alloy. These are just a few simple guidelines. I hope you find them helpful. Gary
Thanks Gary. The information is great. Hopefully, the repro will bring me luck and charm over the coming months
Wow iv always had an interest in these coins but never really got into them.. i think it is time for me to start learning
