Unidentified Japanese Or Chinese Coin, Possibly Ingot?

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Author	Replies: 4 / Views: 2,951
Cointosser77 Valued Member United Kingdom 195 Posts	Posted 09/21/2013 07:57 am I have here 2 photos from each side of what appears to be a Japanese or Chinese coin or ingot which I bought together with another Chinese or Japanese ingot at a live coin auction which the auction house didn't even really know what they were. They are ca. 47 mm tall, 34 mm wide and ca 1-1.5 mm thick. Unfortunately I could not find it in the Krause catalogue (maybe older than 1901?). I would like to know what the Kanjis say on each side, apologies if I made them upside down... Especially interested in market value, age, country, mint, if they are ingots or coins or what else? Well basically any info on them would be greatly appreciated:) Uploaded at Snapagogo.com Uploaded at Snapagogo.com sorry edit: they are 47 mm not 4.7 mm tall and 34 mm wide and not 3.4 mm! :) Edited by Cointosser77 09/21/2013 1:17 pm Report this Post to the Staff

wheatiefan Pillar of the Community United States 514 Posts	Posted 09/21/2013 11:11 pm I looked through my Japan books and don't see anything close. I think you will have to wait for someone who can actually translate the characters for more information. Just by looking at the characters, it looks like they were crudely inscribed with a tool--not minted, punched, or cast like a coin. Report this Post to the Staff
Cointosser77 Valued Member United Kingdom 195 Posts	Posted 09/22/2013 05:56 am Thanks for looking wheatiefan! I made some scans of another coin/ingot which appears to be the same but the paper inscription on it is better intact and the scans make it more readable than the photos: Uploaded at Snapagogo.com Uploaded at Snapagogo.com Report this Post to the Staff
manymore Valued Member United States 347 Posts	Posted 09/22/2013 1:45 pm It is a Chinese brothel token. The obverse side has the Chinese characters le qin (æ¨‚ç´) at the top. This is the name of the brothel and translates as "The Happy Lute". The "lute" refers to a class of Chinese string instruments including the zither. The inscription at the bottom is er bai wen (è´°ä½°æ-‡) which is the denomination "200 cash". The paper inscription on the reverse side reads fu xiang san (ç¦ç¥¥ä¸‰) which translates as "Happiness 3". I do not know what this refers to. The three Chinese characters stamped into the medal read "Li Yong Xing" (æŽæ°¸èˆˆ). This is the name of the silversmith who made the token. If you look at this brothel token, you will see the same characters in the middle of the right image. Li Yong Xing was apparently a popular silversmith for the brothel owners in Shanghai. My guess is that your token is from old Shanghai and dates to the first half of the 20th century. I do not know what it may be worth or even if it is authentic. Gary Report this Post to the Staff
Cointosser77 Valued Member United Kingdom 195 Posts	Posted 10/08/2013 08:10 am Many thanks manymore! Brothel tokens, those certainly made my day!:) Report this Post to the Staff
	Replies: 4 / Views: 2,951

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