I have a very old Chinese meat cleaver. As was the custom at some time, the owner has nailed a coin to the butt of the handle. I'm not concerned about the numismatic value of the coin, since it is holed and heavily buffed, but would very much like to find out its age, and any other info about it. There are also Chinese characters on the blade and if anyone can read these and translate I would be appreciative. Thank you in advance for any/all help.
The coin is from the Guangxu emperor (1875-1908). I can't give a full identity without seeing the other side, but it looks like one of the machine-struck types (Chinese square-holed coins were cast, rather than die-struck like most Western coinage, from ancient times to the late 19th- early 20th century.) Sorry, my Chinese knowledge is limited to what appears on the coins so I can't read the inscription on the cleaver.
