I found this in the bottom of a box of tokens I purchased at an auction. I do not have any idea what it is or what its worth. Any help would be appreciated. Thanks, Ben
This is a Chinese 10 Cash coin struck by one of the provinces during the reign of Emperor Kuang Hsu (1875-1908) in the late 1890's or the early 1900's.The character in the centre circle is a mintmark.I can't tell you which province this coin is from,as I can't read Chinese.Could someone please assist us here? Aidan.
Here are lightened images which are easier to read. I've also put the reverse right-side up. According to H.A. Ramsden, in his 1963 Numismatist article, the Tai Ching Ti Kuo 10 cash coins were issued with marks for various provinces, as well as districts and cities. No guarantees, but I think the center mark, which is actually an incuse countermark signifying where the coin was intended to circulate, rather than a true mint mark, is the one used for both Kwang Tung and Kwang Si provinces. The dates on the reverse are in the complex traditional Chinese lunar cycle, and even with the help of Ramsden's illustrations, I'm sorry to say that I can't read them.
