Could someone identify this coin for me. I was given to me on a train journey I took some years ago from Hong Kong to Bejing. It has a diameter of 4 centimeters. I'm intrigued as to how old it may be.
This is a charm, not a coin. Looks quite old and was certainly a nice gift! The obverse probably reads TAI PING YUAN BAO (Top, bottom, right, left) - I'm not quite sure about the TAI The Taiping rebellion ran from 1850-64, so the charm could date from that time onwards.
Thanks for your response. I have the feeling it is older than mid nineteenth century. Don't know what I base that on, just looks and feels more ancient. Any idea about the characters on the first pic?
Can't help with the characters on the reverse I'm afraid. My Chinese is limited to the characters on coins, not charms. Have a look at http://www.zeno.ru/showphoto.php?photo=19065 - looks very like your charm.
Wow! looks almost identical. Thanks for your input on this. Can go and do a bit more research now. Many thanks.
I'm afraid my gut feel is that your charm is a modern piece. The makers are expert at creating an impression of age.
