Japanese Or Chinese Coin Identification Request

The inscription on both the obverse and reverse sides reads yong he tong bao (æ°¸å'Œe€šå®�). (Unfortunately, the forum software does not display certain Chinese characters.)

The coin is Chinese but is not usually found in Chinese coin catalogs.

The reason is that there is some controversy regarding who minted the coin and when.

In the past, many Chinese coin collectors believed that the coin came from Annam (Vietnam).

Nowadays, it is believed that the coin was cast during a rebellion sometime during the Qing Dynasty.

The coin may have been cast during an uprising led by Zhu Yigui (朱一贵).

Others believe that it was cast during an uprising led by Lin Shuangwen (林爽æ-‡).

As best I can tell, most collectors believe the stronger evidence is with Zhu Yigui.

Unfortunately, there are no "double obverse" specimens like yours known to exist.

But even more importantly, the calligraphy on your coin is very different from specimens considered to be authentic.

Please compare your coin with this example. Although I am not certain that this example is indeed authentic, the calligraphy is considered to be correct.

Therefore, your coin must be considered a reproduction or "fake".

Incidentally, the tag attached to your coin states that it is a "yong he tong bao", is 2.5 cm x 2.5 cm, weighs 8 grams, and has a price of "16".

Gary