Since you were all so good at figuring out my last Chinese mystery, I figured I'd test your expertise on this one too. This coin was labeled "China?" and I can't locate it anywhere in the Krause Catalog. Any guesses what this is? It weighs in at 19 grams and has a diameter of 32 mm. Thanks for your help.
It's actually a Chinese medal as opposed to a coin. I'm not familiar with this piece but I can help translate. The inscription on the obverse side is 蒋委员长肖像 which translates as "Portrait of Chairman Chiang" and refers to Chiang Kai-shek (Jiang Jieshi) who was Chairman of the National Military Council at the time. The inscription at the top of the reverse side is 民国二十六年纪念 which means "In Commemoration of the 26th Year of the Republic" which is the year 1937. The large character inscription in the middle is 还我河山 which translates as "Return My Rivers and Mountains". I'm sure this refers to Chiang Kai-shek's resolve to recover the territory lost to the Japanese when they invaded China in 1937. There is another inscription at the very bottom but I regret that the characters are too small and indistinct for me to read. Gary
Thanks for the tip. I did a bit more digging and found a copper version of this medal that sold for $7,000! http://www.liveauctioneers.com/item/9630250. This one is more worn and appears to be silver. I was trying to come up with an asking price as part of a deal to sell all my Chinese coins, but now I'm thinking perhaps I ought to try to sell this at auction. How would you approach valuing/selling an item like this one? Thanks.
You already have the information on an auction house familiar with the piece, and very successful at selling a similar one. I'd contact them if I were looking to sell your medal.
