Wondering what this coin is. Help!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Discussion in 'World Coins' started by paul624, Aug 23, 2010.

  1. paul624

    paul624 New Member

    Side 1.jpg I just found this coin and I think its chinese but not too sure Please Help Side 2.jpg
     
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  3. paul624

    paul624 New Member

    Not sure why it turned out this way but please scroll to see other side
     
  4. dctjr80

    dctjr80 Senior Member

    It's definitely not a coin, I believe it to be a medal or possibly a token. It looks to have the same pattern on one side as the Great Britain Trade Dollar. Is it about the size of a Morgan Dollar?
     
  5. paul624

    paul624 New Member

    yes and its got pretty good weight also
     
  6. dctjr80

    dctjr80 Senior Member

    It looks to me like someone made a medal out of a British Trade Dollar?
     
  7. paul624

    paul624 New Member


    What do you mean? Sorry i'm new to all of this
     
  8. dctjr80

    dctjr80 Senior Member

    It appears to be the same size and has a similar border to this British coin, So I was curious if maybe they somehow took a trade dollars and struck an image on the front and back and just made a cool medal out of it?
    [​IMG]
     
  9. hontonai

    hontonai Registered Contrarian

    The top photo needs to be rotated 90 degrees to the right. In that position, the first character is the number 8; the second character - pronounced "sen" in Japanese - has many meanings and it is unclear which one applies; and the third character is illegible, if it is indeed a character and not a scribble.

    One possibility for the bottom photo would be to rotate it 90 degrees to the left. In that position the top two characters are ambiguous, and the bottom one is gibberish.

    Conclusion? Some kind of token - probably unidentifiable except to someone already familiar with it.

    There is nothing in the pictures to indicate whether it is of Chinese or Japanese origin.

    Perhaps with a high definition larger view of the bottom picture, the design could be identified or related to something indicative of origin.
     
  10. manymore

    manymore Chinese Charms

    As hontonai has already recommended, rotate the first image 90 degrees clockwise so that the Chinese characters are in a horizontal line.

    The inscription is then read left to right as ba xian tu which translates as "Pictures of the Eight Immortals".

    Rotate the second image 90 degrees counter-clockwise so that the Chinese characters are in a vertical line along the left side.

    The inscription is read top to bottom as he xian gu. He Xiangu is one of the Chinese Daoist "Eight Immortals". With the "coin" now properly oriented you will see her image to the right of the inscription.

    I have a brief description of each of the "Eight Immortals" at this link with He Xiangu being number "5".

    Your "coin" is some kind of commemorative piece of modern vintage and would not circulate as money. Presumably, it is one piece of a set of eight with one "coin" for each of the "Eight Immortals". Your first image is probably the same on all eight coins.

    I would guess that these "coins" were produced in large numbers and that there is no special intrinsic value in the metal.

    Many people find Daoism (Taoism) and Daoist charms really interesting. I discuss a number of the old charms at Daoist Charms.

    Gary
     
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