Ancient China Gold Cowries And Other Stuff

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Author	Replies: 5 / Views: 2,430
stoogeco New Member United States 47 Posts	Posted 02/12/2016 4:24 pm Hello all. I recently purchased this stuff in a collection of other things so I know very little about them. The first 2 pictures, I have no idea what these are. The second group is a collection of gold gilded cowries. I am trying to get more info on these. Any help indentifying these and getting some values on them is greatly appreciated. Report this Post to the Staff

Spence Moderator United States 34428 Posts	Posted 02/12/2016 5:03 pm Is the dirt still wet on these? "If you climb a good tree, you get a push." -----Ghanaian proverb "The danger we all now face is distinguishing between what is authentic and what is performed." -----King Adz Report this Post to the Staff
echizento Moderator United States 23731 Posts	Posted 02/12/2016 5:35 pm I haven't seen anything like the first group before. I've also not heard of Cowries being plated. TypeCoin971793 is our resident expert on Chinese type coins. He should be along soon an be able to help. Report this Post to the Staff
TypeCoin971793 Pillar of the Community United States 6370 Posts	Posted 02/13/2016 12:07 pm These are interesting. I have seen bronze cowry imitations (which these seem to be) that have a gold plating on them. They are far scarcer and were likely used more for ceremonial purposes than money. However, I think all of the specimens in the first two photos are fake. I have seen that shape before, but only in the inventories of dealers selling fakes I have yet to see a genuine cowry imitation with that shape. See that bar in the underside of each of them? That is never seen in imitation bronze cowries because it adds much more complexity to their manufacture, and I have never seen a genuine example with a bar underneath like that. Also, the casting quality is very good on these, almost perfect,, which is a red flag as most bronze cowries are typically poorly cast. As for the other ones, I would like to see in hand. I have many suspicions about these, as I have seen many fakes that look like these. However, the way the plating was applied (you can see how it was rolled over into the inside of the cowries) is consistent to what I have seen in genuine coins, like this one: http://www.ebay.com/itm/ONLY-LINDA-...AOSwLzdWSTgf . Also notice how a lot of the plating is coming off. Usually the fake ones have nearly all of the plating in pristine condition. I'm not saying that fakes don't have these characteristics, but I am saying I have not seen many that do. Just out of curiosity, take a toothpick or a paperclip and see how hard it is to scrape away the green dirt in the underside of the cowrie in the bottom left corner. Here are some genuine examples sold by Bob Reis: http://www.anythinganywhere.com/com...n-fd3v-3.jpg A couple more sold by Scott Semans: http://www.coincoin.com/XC/XCH5.261.jpg http://www.coincoin.com/XC/XCH5.260.jpg FAKES sold by an ebay dealer: http://www.ebay.com/sch/m.html?_odk...ilt&_sacat=0 FAKES sold by a Chinese dealer: http://chancientcoins.com/views.asp?hw_id=1159 Report this Post to the Staff
TypeCoin971793 Pillar of the Community United States 6370 Posts	Posted 02/13/2016 3:42 pm The first ones are not coins or cowries at all. They may have been armor plates or some kind of decoration. I have a piece that has a bar like the ones seen here, sized about the size of a dime, that is pretty well cast like these here. It was advertised as "shield money," but I think it is more likely an armor panel. That explains why I have not seen coins like this before, because they are not coins. With that being said, the other cowries are more likely to be genuine. I keep looking at them, and I keep failing to see indesputable proof that they are counterfeit. Send pictures to Bob Reis, Scott Semans, and/or Frank Robinson. They are far more expert in these than I am, and they should be able to give a more-certain answer. You asked about value. If genuine, the cowries will easily bring $100-300 each in a retail setting. I would love to buy one of each from you, but I can only afford what would be a lowball offer compared to the figure above. You are better off contacting the dealers mentioned above. Report this Post to the Staff
stoogeco New Member United States 47 Posts	Posted 02/13/2016 8:08 pm Great info! Thanks so much for the help. I agree that the top pictures are probably not coins. I'm not too sure what they would be, but probably not coins. And I also believe that the cowries are genuine. They were priced when I purchased them, in or above the range that you had posted. Thank you for the help. I am trying to sell them, so I will contact the dealers that you mentioned. Report this Post to the Staff
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