About 1-2 years ago i was digging in my backyard im guessing its a replica couse i only dug about 3-4 feet deep but i was just wondering because i havent seen a coin like this(not a coin collector). Its about the size of a quarter Can you guys tell me: -Face Value -What year was it made -Any history at all -how much its worth now anything else you can think of, it will be really helpful!!! thank you (Im guess about which side is which on the pics also)
Hi Hy! Welcome to the forum. Stick around and maybe we can turn you into a coin collector. 1 cash. The character at the top of your first picture (which needs to be rotated 90 degrees to the right), identifies it as Chinese, but further identification is impossible without better pictures. Between several hundred years BCE and 1911 Coinage of this type (originally only copper or bronze, but in recent centuries some brass and occasionally iron), was cast in China, Japan, Korea and the Indo-chinese penninsula for many centuries. Some believe that they pre-date European coinage. The coins frequently circulated throughout the region, without respect to where they were cast. Japan stopped making them in 1870, China in 1911, and Korea and Annam (approximately present-day Vietnam) between those dates. The square hole served two purposes. The coins were cast in groups, and a number of them would be placed on a square rod to facilitate grinding the edges smooth after they were separated. Once they were separated, they could be strung together for ease of carrying in pocketless clothing. There are many hundreds of known varieties. The characters generally specify the location of casting and the issuing authority. Without fully identifying yours and seeing it's condition, the only thing that can be said about value is that at one extreme you can buy cash coins on EBay for a few cents per coin in multiple coin lots, and at the other there are a few issues that command prices in the tens, possibly even hundreds, of dollars. Unfortunately, a recovered buried coin such as yours probably has no commercial value, due to its poor condition . There were literally billions of cash coins cast, and lots and lots of them survive. Where is this back yard of yours? At that depth it may have been lost by an early 19th Century immigrant, many years ago.
Hybrid: First off let me say that you sure pick a country that has a zillion coins and characters LOL!!!. Second I am not a collector of Chinese coins but I have a bunch and I kinda like the challenge of figuring them out, and I am not even close to being a knowledgeable person in that area. Third, by luck you have an easy one to ID so here goes nothing hehheh: As Roy said you have a Chinese cash coin. It is considered a "cast" coin because they made it in sand casts. In the arena of cast coins, you have what is considered a modern. Modern is defined as Ching Dynasty AD 1644 - 1911. Any cast after 1644 is considered modern LOL!!! The two characters on the reverse proves that. There are two characters on the reverse. The one on the left is a Manchurian "boo" and only seen on Ching Dynasty cash. The one on the right is the mint. It is called "boo je" Chekiang mint. The obverse is Emperor Shih Tsung AD 1723 - 1735. The reign title is Yung Cheng, 1723 - 1735. In Fine it is worth $2.50. In Very Fine it is $4.50. I wish the ones I have were as easy as this one LOL!!! Hope this helps.
Very Interesting guys thanks for the great info oh and my backyard location is Orange, California Thanks again.....ill try to post here and there
