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What is it?

...Or the 3 blind men and the elephant. It's not magnetic, 17.9 g, 37.9 mm, 2.2 mm and has a nice silver sound on a hard surface. Coinoscope doesn't recognize it. Translate apps don't read the oriental characters. Okay I'm ready. Peace Roy

BST: endeavor1967, synchr, kliao, Outhaul, Donttellthewife, U1Chicago, ajaan, mCarney1173, SurfinHi, MWallace, Sandman70gt, mustanggt, Pittstate03, Lazybones, Walkerguy21D, coinandcurrency242 , thebigeng, Collectorcoins, JimTyler, USMarine6, Elkevvo, Coll3ctor, Yorkshireman, CUKevin, ranshdow, CoinHunter4, bennybravo, Centsearcher, braddick, Windycity, ZoidMeister, mirabela, JJM, RichURich, Bullsitter, jmski52

Comments

  • 1960NYGiants1960NYGiants Posts: 3,442 ✭✭✭✭

    A workers co-op token like the old plantation tokens?

    Gene

    Life member #369 of the Royal Canadian Numismatic Association
    Member of Canadian Association of Token Collectors

    Collector of:
    Canadian coins and pre-confederation tokens
    Darkside proof/mint sets dated 1960
    My Ebay
  • Namvet69Namvet69 Posts: 8,625 ✭✭✭✭✭

    I'm not even sure it's Chinese yet. I gotta break out my crazy 8 ball.

    BST: endeavor1967, synchr, kliao, Outhaul, Donttellthewife, U1Chicago, ajaan, mCarney1173, SurfinHi, MWallace, Sandman70gt, mustanggt, Pittstate03, Lazybones, Walkerguy21D, coinandcurrency242 , thebigeng, Collectorcoins, JimTyler, USMarine6, Elkevvo, Coll3ctor, Yorkshireman, CUKevin, ranshdow, CoinHunter4, bennybravo, Centsearcher, braddick, Windycity, ZoidMeister, mirabela, JJM, RichURich, Bullsitter, jmski52

  • JBKJBK Posts: 14,643 ✭✭✭✭✭

    Very interesting...

  • WeissWeiss Posts: 9,935 ✭✭✭✭✭

    https://coinquest.com/cgi-bin/cq/coins.pl?coin=21621

    Medal China Journey to the West with Staff, Shovel, Rake, and Bar
    One of China's famous stories dating back to the 1500s (Ming dynasty) is Journey to the West, attributed to Wu Cheng'en. It is one of the Four Great Classical Novels of Chinese literature. In English-speaking countries, the work is widely known as Monkey, the title of Arthur Waley's popular abridged translation.

    Journey to the West is an extended account of the legendary pilgrimage of the Tang dynasty Buddhist monk Xuanzang who traveled to the 'Western Regions', that is, Central Asia and India, to obtain Buddhist sacred texts.

    Main characters in the story include Xuanzang (also referred to as Tang Sanzang), Sun Wukong (the Monkey King), Zhu Bajie, and Sha Wujing.

    During modern times, enterprising sales people have produced nice-looking medals that commemorate the grand story and the characters in it. These are sold in sets to tourists for a few tens of US dollars. The medals contain no silver and are worth about $2 each. Once in a while you can find them online for sale to collectors.

    Coin: 21621, Genre: Medals, Timeline: Modern
    Created (yyyymm): 201704, Last review: 201704
    Appearance: Normal round coin Metallic gray Letters: Chinese style
    Years: sort: 1990, filter: 1948 to 2050
    Image: china_journey_to_the_west.jpg
    Original inquiry: coin has standing figure with halo on back is a buddhist staff, a shovel, a rake, and a stick or bar rake god goddess scepter stick rod staff circle ring line straight bar scroll scrollwork

    We are like children who look at print and see a serpent in the last letter but one, and a sword in the last.
    --Severian the Lame
  • Namvet69Namvet69 Posts: 8,625 ✭✭✭✭✭

    @Weiss thanks so much for the info. What a great story that I hadn't heard before. No halo on my guy but the tools were the key. I think this iteration is silver although it could be silver plated over zinc, scan to come. Have a good day. Peace Roy

    BST: endeavor1967, synchr, kliao, Outhaul, Donttellthewife, U1Chicago, ajaan, mCarney1173, SurfinHi, MWallace, Sandman70gt, mustanggt, Pittstate03, Lazybones, Walkerguy21D, coinandcurrency242 , thebigeng, Collectorcoins, JimTyler, USMarine6, Elkevvo, Coll3ctor, Yorkshireman, CUKevin, ranshdow, CoinHunter4, bennybravo, Centsearcher, braddick, Windycity, ZoidMeister, mirabela, JJM, RichURich, Bullsitter, jmski52

  • sylsyl Posts: 889 ✭✭✭

    Before I read the story, I was trying to decipher what the 4 implements were on the back. I thought that it looked like the first time that a mop was ever commemorated on coinage.

  • Namvet69Namvet69 Posts: 8,625 ✭✭✭✭✭

    @syl I know, I thought the same think which made me doubt the symbolism for a moment. But this is not a new coin so I knew I had to share it here to get the true scoop.

    BST: endeavor1967, synchr, kliao, Outhaul, Donttellthewife, U1Chicago, ajaan, mCarney1173, SurfinHi, MWallace, Sandman70gt, mustanggt, Pittstate03, Lazybones, Walkerguy21D, coinandcurrency242 , thebigeng, Collectorcoins, JimTyler, USMarine6, Elkevvo, Coll3ctor, Yorkshireman, CUKevin, ranshdow, CoinHunter4, bennybravo, Centsearcher, braddick, Windycity, ZoidMeister, mirabela, JJM, RichURich, Bullsitter, jmski52

  • SapyxSapyx Posts: 1,977 ✭✭✭✭✭

    Your piece is one of hundreds of different "fantasy dollars" that are being made in China and sold as souvenirs; you can find them in just about every tourist market you visit over there. You can even often find them in "Chinese markets" in the West, as they export fake and fantasy dollars like this by the shipping-containerload. They are sold either individually, or in packaged sets with information cards telling you about the characters on the coins.

    It will not be made of silver; a genuine "silver dollar" ought to weigh at least 25 grams.

    Waste no more time arguing what a good man should be. Be one.
    Roman emperor Marcus Aurelius, "Meditations"

    Apparently I have been awarded one DPOTD. B)
  • Namvet69Namvet69 Posts: 8,625 ✭✭✭✭✭

    @Sapyx The actual history lesson is worth the $3 I paid for this medal. Thanks for your insight. Peace Roy

    BST: endeavor1967, synchr, kliao, Outhaul, Donttellthewife, U1Chicago, ajaan, mCarney1173, SurfinHi, MWallace, Sandman70gt, mustanggt, Pittstate03, Lazybones, Walkerguy21D, coinandcurrency242 , thebigeng, Collectorcoins, JimTyler, USMarine6, Elkevvo, Coll3ctor, Yorkshireman, CUKevin, ranshdow, CoinHunter4, bennybravo, Centsearcher, braddick, Windycity, ZoidMeister, mirabela, JJM, RichURich, Bullsitter, jmski52

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