Does anybody know what east Asian coin this is? It has the dragon from the Japanese silver 1 Yen coin (1870-1914), but it's not a Japanese 1 yen. (50 sen, 20 sen & 10 sen use the same dragon, but this coin is full size "trade dollar" sized of ~38mm diameter). The Korean 5 Yang has a similar general design to the Japanese 1 yen, but with a different dragon and national symbol. This coin seems to have a dragon that's identical to the Japanese Meiji/Taisho dragon. It's not Japanese, because it doesn't have the 3 "Japan" kanji, nor the rising sun. (Japan uses some kanji from China) I can make out that it's the first year of an emperor (who?) But the rest of the Chinese I can't read. I assume that it may be a Japanese Empire coin, maybe Manchuria (Manchuko) or similar. Here's the coin: Here's a Japanese 1 yen, year 45 (1912) showing the same dragonfor comparison:
Well, 乾隆 is Quianlong, one of the Qing Emperors. But silver coins of this style would not have been minted during his era, so I'm guessing a fantasy piece.
I agree that it seems it must be a fantasy or medal of some sort, though how old it is and indeed exactly what it is, I have no idea. It's attractive and rather interesting, though.
A friend asked me about this coin, which he was considering buying. I said I had no idea what it is, and that the details were are strange, given that the dragon is identical to the Japanese yen. I have an extensive collection of Japanese silver coins, so I know how to identify silver. (I have most dates of Japanese silver 1 yen from 1870 to 1914.)
So is this piece silver? If so, that’s at least one step in the direction toward it possibly being an older medal or fantasy of some kind, at least. But I guess you haven’t examined it in hand either, then? If it isn’t silver, I’d lean more towards assuming it’s a modern fantasy. (Not that I know anything else here, obviously.)
Yeah, I'm throwing in one more vote for fantasy piece. The date is Year 1 of Qianlong, but the dragon design and overall layout are from a Japanese yen of over a century later... An attractive piece, but not an official coin.
Ok, thanks everyone for the replies. So it looks like a fantasy piece, given that it seems to indicate the first year of Quianlong. I'm interested in reverse (the other side to the dragon).... it could be a design from another coin, but again, which one?
The reverse looks much more like a good luck charm than a coin design. I thing the characters are: 天賜鴻福 (tian1ci4hong2fu2) "Heaven bestows great blessings" I believe the bird is the Chinese phoenix, 鳳凰 (fenghuang), a traditional symbol of good luck. Edit: The phoenix is rare on Chinese coins, but common on amulets/luck charms. It turns out there were a few official circulating Chinese coins with a phoenix on them, though I've never seen one in person. The Japanese version of the phoenix is common on 50 sen coins, though (see middle two coins).
There are a few Chinese coins with a phoenix...a different look. Solitary and three tailed. I think that is significant but don't recall the details. Stylistically reminds me more of this type (sorry, and ebay link): https://www.ebay.com/itm/2841573999...cuT1Ix4Rhl7VRiYE_QGoY8mMPugdbiE4aAiqoEALw_wcB And a few more bullion types: https://en.numista.com/catalogue/pieces22840.html https://www.lpm.hk/2019-1-oz-china-...e-999-gold-restrike-premium-uncirculated.html https://www.apmex.com/product/21041...i9JuSGb0CqPJm-8WRBV910aZDzWxJo0oaAlMaEALw_wcB
