Hey All, quite new here but thought i'd give it a try.. ^^ I have got a coin a from a family member that is still unknown to me. I also believe it might actually be fairly young compared to the ancient chinese type of coins, i have scouted the internet but have not yet found a match. So here i'm hoping on some more elaborate insight on this coin, it measures 20mm. Unfortunately it has a crack, but then again it might not be authentic enough also i did not have a magnet but judging from it's weight it will barely stick if at all.
One of the last coins minted during the ch'ing dynasty. Looks late 1800's possibly 1900's. Those coins were made all the way to the early 1900's and it looks relatively modern. Here is a good reference: http://www.calgarycoin.com/reference/china/china8.htm#ching
Unfortunately, the coin is a modern reproduction of a Qing (Ch'ing) Dynasty coin made to be a souvenir or for "feng shui" purposes. The inscription reads yong zheng tong bao and real coins were cast during the years 1723-1735 of the reign of Emperor Shi Zong. All authentic yong zheng tong bao coins were "cast" in molds but your coin was "struck" (machine-made). For comparison purposes, an authentic yong zhong tong bao coin may be seen here. Gary
Hmm.. somehow it doesn't suprise me, as most of the comparisons seems to lack the slight thinner outer edge i have.. also the inscription on the bottom front was mostly replaced with a different one. Anyway thanks for the replies, it certainly made me a little smarter today..
They sell those coins on red strings in Taoist temples in China, I kept a few for my own God(me) and tossed the rest to whoever their god was for good fortune. Must have worked, I actually found some coin shops selling nice modern Chinese coins at melt value.
