I don't know much about these but i got it in a lot of foreign coins. I tried looking it up awhile back but couldn't find anything that matched both sides so I'm wondering if its fake? I believe it says its from the reign of emperor Shunzhi if I'm not mistaken. Can anyone help confirm if it matches a real coin or what it is? thanks.
It should be real. Even though these can be quite old they are not rare and only sell for a dollar or so. People don't really fake them.
This is my go to resource for identifying Chinese Cash coins: https://www.calgarycoin.com/reference/china/chinaid.htm
Type is definitely of the Shun Zhi Emperor (1644-1661), reverse is Board of Revenue mint in Beijing, Hartill 22.70. But the Manchu calligraphy on the reverse is very unusual for this type- the thin lines remind me of what I've seen on modern copies. (And yes, modern copies definitely exist of common Qing dynasty cash, some intended for use in divination using the I Ching, others sold as tourist souvenirs.) (Compare the examples in Hartill's book, or go through the examples from searching "Shun Zhi Tong Bao" on zeno.ru .) But this doesn't have the "pebbly" surfaces that those copies normally have, and the brassy metal is correct (most modern copies are in a more coppery metal). But I'm not convinced this is a genuine coin.
Thanks everyone! Thank you. So more then likely its a really good counterfeit? I'll hang on to it for now but I'm keeping it out of the collection.
