We recieved this coin today and we are having a hard time identifying it. If anyone has any expertise in Chinese characters or coins the help would be much appreciated.
i think that's a qing dynasty coin, but i get so confused on these. here is a link you may find useful. http://primaltrek.com/chinesecoins.html#qing_dynasty_coins
The Chinese inscription on the obverse side (top image) reads xian yi tong bao (咸宜通宝). This inscription was not used on Chinese coins but on coins from Annam (Vietnam). Please see coins "No. a8" and "No. a9" on this web page. Coins with this inscription were issued by Emperor Nguyen Ham Nhgi during the period 1884-1885. The reverse inscription on your coin reads si fang wei ze (四方为则). As best I can tell, this inscription was not used on any coins issued by Emperor Nguyen Ham Nhgi. The inscription si fang wei ze actually comes from a poem included in the very ancient Chinese Shi jing (Book of Odes) dating from the 10th to 7th centuries BC. The inscription comes from a line in Poem No. 252 which, referring to a "happy and courteous sovereign", translates as "you are a pattern to the four quarters [of the kingdom]". This Chinese website identifies the coin as a "fake". I have no expertise in the coins from Annam but I believe your coin should be considered a modern "charm" or "fantasy" piece. Gary
