I was given this coin by a friend and I don't know anything about it. It feels to be about 1 oz of silver. Any ideas? You'll see on the 3rd picture it seems to have some kind of unique mark in the very center of the coin. I've been told it is a 1856 Shanghai Tael L&M-589 K-900, but is it real?? Thank you in advance!!
It does have a date. It is dated the "6th year of the Xianfeng Emperor" (咸豐六年) which would be 1856. It also has a denomination which is "one tael" (壹两). I do not have the Krause reference so I do not know if K-900 is correct or not. However, the L&M number should be 590, not 589. It is definitely a "fake". Authentic "Shanghai Pure Silver Cake" coins exhibit fine calligraphy which, unfortunately, your coin totally lacks. Gary
It is a forgery. The unique mark is only a casted flaw. I don't know the reference number, but I know it will be worth quite a lot of money if it is true!
