There are collectors here who can read these things like a first-grade primer. Perhaps you should attract their attention with a thread title like, "Need help reading Chinese Cash Coins."
I think that help with attribution should be a collectors last resort. Help with direction? Definately! Part of the fun of collecting ancients for me, is diving into researching something I know very little about. I love history, and can spend hours "sidetracked" by it when attributing coins.
Nothing wrong with asking others - after all, nobody is forced to reply here. And why not learn a little from others first? Once you get a helpful hint, you can still dig deeper yourself. As for unspecific topic titles, I agree. Some members just browse the list of subjects, and may a look if there is a reference to the country, region or time/era ... Christian
Top row, from left to right: - Emperor Xuanzong. Guilin mint in Guangxi province. Cast 1821-circa 1848. Hartill 22.602 - Emperor Gaozong. Board of Revenue mint, Southern branch. Cast circa 1782-1795. Qian Long Tong Bao. Hartill 22.224 - Emperor Shizu. Linqing garrison mint in Shangdong province. Cast 1660-1661. Shun Zi Tong Bao. Hartill 22.77 - Middle row, left to right: - Emperor Renzong. Yunnan province mint. Cast 1797-circa 1818. Jia Qing Tong Bao. Hartill 22.542 - Vietnam. Emperor Nguyen Quang Toan. Cast 1793-1801. Canh Thinh Thong Bao. Barker 95 - Emperor Shizu. Kaifeng mint in Henan province. Cast 1667-1670. Shun Zi Tong Bao. Hartill 22.107 Bottom row, left to right: - Emperor Dezong. Fuzhou mint in Fujian province. Cast 1893-early 1900s. Guang Xu Tong Bao. Hartill 22.1328. - Emperor Gaozong. Board of Revenue mint, West branch. Cast circa 1761-circa 1767. Qian Long Tong Bao. Hartill 22.209 The three machine struck cash on the bottom right are all: - Emperor Gongzong (Puyi). Guangzhou mint in Guangdong province. Cast 1909-circa 1910. Xuan Tong Tong Bao. Hartill 22.1518
