Posted 06/09/2007 03:44 am
This is indeed a real coin, albeit a fairly mysterious one. Previously listed under Laos, China-Yunnan and Burma, the current Krause (2006) lists it under French Indo-china, classed as "WWII bullion coinage". It comes in half-tael and 1 tael denominations; the "tael" is a Chinese unit of weight. Yours is a 1 tael, and should weigh either 34 grams (KM# A2) or 38.2 grams (KM# A2a).
The footnote in Krause says these are now believed to have been originally struck in Vichy-controlled Indochina sometime around 1943-44, for state financing of the opium trade in the golden triangle.
The large squarish character is the stylised Chinese word "fu", meaning luck, wealth or fortune. The other side has the denomination/weight, written in Lao and Chinese.
Originals in that condition should be worth around $50 to $100. Be aware that they have been counterfeited extensively, particularly in Vietnam and China. http://cgi.ebay.com.au/French-Indoc...VE_W0QQitemZ200117255361QQihZ010QQcategoryZ534QQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem
The footnote in Krause says these are now believed to have been originally struck in Vichy-controlled Indochina sometime around 1943-44, for state financing of the opium trade in the golden triangle.
The large squarish character is the stylised Chinese word "fu", meaning luck, wealth or fortune. The other side has the denomination/weight, written in Lao and Chinese.
Originals in that condition should be worth around $50 to $100. Be aware that they have been counterfeited extensively, particularly in Vietnam and China. http://cgi.ebay.com.au/French-Indoc...VE_W0QQitemZ200117255361QQihZ010QQcategoryZ534QQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem
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