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<p>[QUOTE=&quot;kaparthy, post: 21522, member: 57463&quot;]Nice coin! The new standard reference from Krause is by DAVID JEN.&nbsp; You would have to read the ideograms.&nbsp; Generally, if you read them one way (right to left), it is the name of the emperor and the other way (up and down) is the name of his reign.&nbsp; (Like FDR and &quot;New Deal.&quot;)</p><p><br /></p><p>On the reverse, the scribbles are &quot;Manchus.&quot;&nbsp; The story (not true) is that the Emperess visited the imperial mint on an inspection and idly ran her long fingernails over a mold.&nbsp; Not wanted to insult her, they made that part of the design.&nbsp; In truth, the Manchurian script is another kind of writing.&nbsp; It identifes the mint.</p><p><br /></p><p>Billions upon billions of these copper cash were made in the imperial mints and millions more were counterfeited by simply casting.&nbsp; People carried strings of them. They were tallied by the One Hundred for easy buying and selling.&nbsp; Merchants did use &quot;sychee&quot; cast silver, but most people were limited to these brass coins, whether to buy a bowl of rice or a horse.&nbsp; </p><p><br /></p><p>Unless you can attribute something rare about it, it is a coin to be passed down in your family as a memento of your Great^n Grandfather.[/QUOTE]</p><p><br /></p>

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