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Message:: [QUOTE="manymore, post: 688736, member: 17118"]ls8driver, As you may know, I am not knowledgeable about Chinese struck coins so I cannot give you any advice concerning how to determine real silver coins from fakes.  Since neither coin passed the magnet test, you have already determined that they are, indeed, fakes. However, I think I can provide some additional information regarding the first coin. The reason you are having trouble reading the reverse side is because it is written in Tibetan.  The inscription on the reverse, written in Tibetan, is actually the same as the Chinese inscription on the obverse side. The Chinese inscription on the obverse reads qian long bao zang.  You identified correctly the first three characters (top, bottom and right). As you know, qian long refers to the Qing (Ch'ing) Dynasty Emperor Gao Zong (1736-1795), and bao means "treasure" but here can be understood to mean "currency". The character on the left is zang.  Zang refers to the Zang (Tibetan) nationality and the character is actually written in a very stylized script. The coin was therefore made to be used in Tibet. The "numbers" you mention near the outer rim on the obverse side read "year 58".  This means that the coin was made in the 58th year of the reign of Emperor Gao Zong.  Since he ascended the throne in 1736 this means the coin was made in 1793 (year 1736 counts as "year 1"). Regarding the second coin, I can only confirm that the value is "wu qian" which, as you have noted, translates as "5 mace". Again, I am not familiar with Chinese silver coinage so I cannot confirm whether the "5 Mace" denomination is "normal" or not. Gary[/QUOTE]

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