Hey all! I bought these two Emperor Kangxi Chinese 1 Cash coins at my LCS. I've been trying to identify them using David Hartill's Cast Chinese Coins. Both of these appear to be Hartill #22.119, from Jiangning (Nanking) with the Manchu mint name on the left and the Chinese mint name on the right. The Chinese characters look identical, but the Manchu characters are very different. I know there is variation between Hartill varieties since so many coins were made, but this seems pretty drastic to the point where I'm questioning if it's the same character. One of the coins (the one on the right in the side-by-side photos) has a Manchu character that looks just like what is depicted in Hartill's book and all images of 22.119 I've seen online. The other has a much shorter and stubbier version of the same or a similar-looking character. Let me know what you all think!
Wish I could give you some direction. I haven't a clue with the font's and script, they both look fake to me..
Since you're armed with the book and I am not, you're already a quantum leap ahead of me, so all I can do is shrug. Attempting to identify any but the most basic Chinese cash (like the omnipresent Ch'ien-lungs) is too much for me and makes my brain explode. I like the look of those, though. Late 17th/Early 18th century, huh?
Emperor SHENG TSU AD 1662-1722 reign title: K'ANG-HSI, AD 1662-1722 https://www.calgarycoin.com/reference/china/china8.htm For what it's worth, I believe them to be the same, but one more crudely done.
Since all the cash were cast until the 20th century, I don't know how anyone can tell the difference between the genuine article and a fake made in even a crude amateur Chinese foundry last year unless you were there when it was dug from the ground. I have several I believe to be genuine, but I'd hate to have to prove it. If the Chinese can make exquisite copies of struck coins, it would be easy to make crude copies of coins that were rather crude casts to begin with. (By the way, the OP's coins look legit to me, but what do I know?)
