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 Replies: 9 / Views: 1,254 |
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Pillar of the Community
United States
1713 Posts |
Any idea what this one is?   |
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Pillar of the Community
United States
597 Posts |
It is a modern fantasy struck in the last five years, mimicking a coin minted in ca. 1890-1908 by the Board of Public Revenue in Beijing, China. These things are common, but they must see a need to fake them. I bought a handful of them in Nanchang last year to throw as offerings in a Buddhist temple there.
The sign that these are modern fantasies, the real ones did not have the beading in the field where the four Chinese characters are.
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Pillar of the Community
 United States
1713 Posts |
That would explain why my internet searches came up empty. Do you know what the characters say on the fantasy coin? I have one that's similar that I was able to identify (this one's real right?). This one was sent to me by someone traveling in Japan. The first one I picked up at a lost and found sale. Kuan Ei Tsu Ho   |
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Pillar of the Community
Australia
3831 Posts |
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Pillar of the Community
United States
1713 Posts |
So is the coin Chinese or Japanese?
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Moderator
 Australia
16849 Posts |
The first one is a repro of a Chinese coin, as Scottishmoney said. Your second one is indeed Japanese.
Don't say "infinitely" when you mean "very"; otherwise, you'll have no word left when you want to talk about something really infinite. - C. S. Lewis
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Pillar of the Community
United States
1713 Posts |
Anyone know what it says on the fantasy coin?
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Moderator
Australia
16849 Posts |
The obverse is the side with the four Chinese characters which are normally read in the order top-bottom-right-left. This one reads, according to the old Wade-Giles method of anglicizing Chinese characters (still used in Krause), "chia ch'ing t'ung pao". According to the modern Pinyin anglicization, it's written "jia qing tong bao". The personal name of the Chinese emperor was considered too holy to place on coins which common people would touch. Instead, a two-syllable phrase called a reign-name was placed on the coins. It was this name which the emperor wished his rule to be known and remembered for. "jia qing" means "fine celebration". The Jia Qing Emperor ruled from 1796 to 1821. On the reverse is the mint. The language here is Manchu, not Chinese - the ruling house of China at the time was of Manchurian origin. The character on the left is "boo", the Manchu word for "mint". The other word is the name of the mint: "Ciowan", the Board of Revenue in the capital, Beijing. Don't say "infinitely" when you mean "very"; otherwise, you'll have no word left when you want to talk about something really infinite. - C. S. Lewis
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Pillar of the Community
Australia
2830 Posts |
G'day,
Scottishmoney mentions a current use for these copies - "to throw as offerings in a Buddhist temple".
I have seen this type of coin used to ornament pottery: that is recently-manufactured items, made in the traditional style. There was no fakery: one could watch the potter at work, and in a different part of the premises, see ladies weaving the traditional fibres that held the coins in place. No one pretended that the coins were older than the pots, and I never thought to ask where the coins came from. That was on the island of Lombok, in Indonesia.
Another use, possibly similar to that referred to by Scottishmoney: on the Indonesian island of Bali. I go there most years, and comb the beach each day. I always find one or two of these coins in the sand, each trip. I now have a few of them, but mostly they are badly corroded. I wondered why I found so many. Bali has a Hindu culture, and perhaps these coins are a form of offering.
Peter in Oz
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Valued Member
United States
204 Posts |
I am in Beijing at the moment and just to add what Peter said, these coins are often used in decoration - here they use them frequently in string ornaments as a way to bring wealth. I haven't been to the coin market (and might not get to), but I am sure the fake ones look a bit less fake  . Saw an ad on TV here yesterday which was exactly like the home shopping channel - pitching ancient coins as incredible investments, the only significant difference was the language. People really aren't that different in some respects. I figure if it seems like a fake, it probably is. If it really authentic looking and has been graded and encapsulated by an authority on coins, then it is a really good fake  . Hoping to get some real current currency and coins (although I read an article that some of that is fake too  ). |
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Replies: 9 / Views: 1,254 |
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Posted 09/23/2007 01:34 am
