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<p>[QUOTE=&quot;manymore, post: 834921, member: 17118&quot;]I have a Chinese reference book that has a rubbing of a &quot;double obverse&quot; <i>da guan tong bao</i> that is attributed to the Song Dynasty and which I measure to be the same size as yours.</p><p><br /></p><p>Even though it is documented that these coins did exist during Song times, my opinion is that your coin was not cast during this time period.</p><p><br /></p><p>Since your images are not really adequate for me to evaluate the metal and patina, I am basing my opinion solely on the calligraphy even though it also is not very clear in the images.</p><p><br /></p><p>As I am sure you know, the calligraphy for the inscription on this coin was from the hand of the emperor himself.&nbsp; Emperor Hui Zong (1101-1125) may not have been the best administrator of state, since his decisions led to the fall of the dynasty to the Jin, but he was a man of culture and developed a very distinctive personal style of calligraphy known as &quot;slender gold&quot;.</p><p><br /></p><p>His &quot;slender gold&quot; calligraphy is evident on the coin you use for your avatar on this forum although, for comparison purposes, it may be easier to view the calligraphy on <a href="http://primaltrek.com/flowerhole.html#da_guan_tong_bao_slender_gold" target="_blank" class="externalLink ProxyLink" data-proxy-href="http://primaltrek.com/flowerhole.html#da_guan_tong_bao_slender_gold" rel="nofollow">this small cash coin</a>.</p><p><br /></p><p>On my coin, and your avatar, the &quot;<i>da</i>&quot; character (the one above the square hole) shows strokes which are thin and exhibit grace and modulation.&nbsp; This is particularly evident on the two &quot;legs&quot; as well as the right end of the horizontal stroke.&nbsp; This elegance may be seen even clearer in <a href="http://primaltrek.com/charmfeatures.html#da_ding" target="_blank" class="externalLink ProxyLink" data-proxy-href="http://primaltrek.com/charmfeatures.html#da_ding" rel="nofollow">this image</a> which is actually a Jin Dynasty coin but one that was based on the &quot;slender gold&quot; style.</p><p><br /></p><p>If you compare this &quot;<i>da</i>&quot; character with the same character on the left image of your &quot;double obverse&quot; coin, you will see a remarkable difference.&nbsp; Your coin, in general, has very thick strokes with little modulation.&nbsp; The horizontal stroke has lost the distinctive tip at its right end, and the &quot;legs&quot; look like they have elephantitis or some other ailment.</p><p><br /></p><p>My reference books also show other variants of the <i>da guan tong bao</i> with slightly different calligraphy.&nbsp; These are referred to as &quot;later cast&quot; coins and were mostly produced during the Jin and Yuan Dynasties.&nbsp; However, these coins also have a calligraphic quality which exceeds that of your &quot;double obverse&quot; coin.</p><p><br /></p><p>There are <i>da guan tong bao</i> amulets and many of them are attributed to the Song Dynasty.&nbsp; &quot;<i>Da guan</i>&quot; can be interpreted to mean &quot;great view&quot; or &quot;great outlook&quot; so this inscription lends itself to being used as a charm.&nbsp; &quot;<i>Guan</i>&quot; can also mean a Daoist (Taoist) temple.</p><p><br /></p><p>However, again, these Song Dynasty amulets display a calligraphy which is very similar to that of the coins that were circulating at that time and which is quite different from that of your coin.&nbsp; Also, <i>da guan tong bao</i> amulets seem to always have symbols on the reverse side such as the &quot;Big Dipper&quot;, sun, crescent moon, dragon, etc.</p><p><br /></p><p>As you know, it can be a real challenge trying to authenticate a Chinese coin from just an image.&nbsp; My best guess, and that is all it really is, is that your coin is probably meant to be a copy of the &quot;double obverse&quot; Song Dynasty coin I mentioned above.&nbsp; However, it lacks the qualities of a true Song Dynasty coin and was most certainly cast much later, perhaps even during modern times.</p><p><br /></p><p>Gary[/QUOTE]</p><p><br /></p>

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