Check this out. Did I just accidentally change world history? (Literally!?)

lordmarcovan

This is a poster for a lecture given in Hong Kong this summer, as you can see.

See the apparently rare 600-year-old bronze Ming Dynasty medallion thingie, which was found in North Carolina?

Does it look familiar?

It should. I was the one who dug it up.



How about now- look familiar?

They are one and the same artifact. Dr. Siu-Leung Lee, who gave the lecture, is the man I sold that "whatzit" to.

lordmarcovan

Here is the associated MD Forum thread about the mystery item.

Preussen

Very . - Preussen

wildjag

Oh great, way to go LordM. Now the Chinese will say they discovered America and it belongs to them and come invade us

I hope you didn't let that professor cherry pick that from you though and made a hefty profit on it

Silvereagle82

The world is indeed a very small place!!!!!

Robert, I would try to get a copy or transcript of the presentation.... he may have even credited you with the find

Aethelred

I seem to remember you finding that and us trying to figure out what it was.

Very cool! Does this mean that when Columbus got here he ordered take out?

RareBronzeCollector

Fascinating.......

and Educational.... on several levels.....

1jester

So do you have any idea what this thing is and to whom or what it was attributed? Did they clue you in, or do you know what the lecture will be about and how this thing ties into it?

I think no matter how old it is, it could easily have been part of someone's collection, so this alone is no argument that the Chinese settled or traded with or were even ever there where you found it. But proof of that would be fascinating.

JZrarities

Oh Great.

History has Changed... Columbus took second place and ordered "Takeout"..

All because LM sold his round Whatzit <---- Now that's funny.

TwoKopeiki

That's fantastic news! I've been following the original discussion thread and how Dr. Lee was messing with you by sending you the picture of himself at the site where you found the relic

It would be nice if he added you to Aknowledgements page.

History comes to life! Love it!

AuldFartte

<< <i>Very cool! Does this mean that when Columbus got here he ordered take out? >>





I'd definitely try to get a copy of the presentation, Rob.
That would be very cool !!!

WillieBoyd2

I thought the Irish monk Brendan discovered America.
Or Baghdad's Sinbad the sailor.
Lots of Roman coins have been dug up in the US, so it could have been them, too.

WhiteTornado

What a story! At least your forum friends here know who found the item.

IlikeZARcoins

Ha ha - COOL !!!

theboz11

Now that impressive, WTG

CIVITAS

<< <i>Oh great, way to go LordM. Now the Chinese will say they discovered America and it belongs to them and come invade us
>>



The Vikings still did it 400 years earlier than this, so we're safe from that justification.

I think they'll just slowly take over by inundating us with cheap plastic toys and "1904" draped bust dollars.

coachleonard

But there was actually a book that came out about four years ago or so that stated the Chinese came over here in the early 1400's-- but from what i remember of an article about the book, they based this on discoveries of some 15th century Chinese artifact finds in California (Sacramento area). I could be wrong. Maybe this guy is the same fellow who authored that book. Hey Lordmarcovan, maybe your find WILL be at the forefront of this new theory!

ormandh

WOW!!! That would be really mind blowing if that one object could prove that China had discovered America first. -Dan

shirohniichan

See the apparently rare 600-year-old bronze Ming Dynasty medallion thingie, which was found in North Carolina?

So the experts have determined that it's a medallion thingie?

I'm glad we finally got positive ID!

spoon

<< <i>But there was actually a book that came out about four years ago or so that stated the Chinese came over here in the early 1400's-- but from what i remember of an article about the book, they based this on discoveries of some 15th century Chinese artifact finds in California (Sacramento area). I could be wrong. Maybe this guy is the same fellow who authored that book. Hey Lordmarcovan, maybe your find WILL be at the forefront of this new theory! >>

1421: The Year China Discovered America

by none other than Gavin Menzies

The review at Amazon:

<< <i>A former submarine commander in Britain's Royal Navy, Menzies must enjoy doing battle. The amateur historian's lightly footnoted, heavily speculative re-creation of little-known voyages made by Chinese ships in the early 1400s goes far beyond what most experts in and outside of China are willing to assert and will surely set tongues wagging. According to Menzies's brazen but dull account of the Middle Kingdom's exploits at sea, Magellan, Dias, da Gama, Cabral and Cook only "discovered" lands the Chinese had already visited, and they sailed with maps drawn from Chinese charts. Menzies alleges that the Chinese not only discovered America, but also established colonies here long before Columbus set out to sea. Because China burned the records of its historic expeditions led by Zheng He, the famed eunuch admiral and the focus of this account, Menzies is forced to defend his argument by compiling a tedious package of circumstantial evidence that ranges from reasonable to ridiculous. While the book does contain some compelling claims-for example, that the Chinese were able to calculate longitude long before Western explorers-drawn from Menzies's experiences at sea, his overall credibility is undermined by dubious research methods. In just one instance, when confounded by the derivation of cryptic words on a Venetian map, Menzies first consults an expert at crossword puzzles rather than an etymologist. Such an approach to scholarship, along with a promise of more proof to come in the paperback edition, casts a shadow of doubt over Menzies's discoveries. 32 pages of color illus., 27 maps and diagrams. >>

ajaan

Alternative explanation: Aethelred planted the medallion in the WNC soil so some guy would find it and change world history.

He is that type of guy you know.

shirohniichan

While the book does contain some compelling claims-for example, that the Chinese were able to calculate longitude long before Western explorers-drawn from Menzies's experiences at sea, his overall credibility is undermined by dubious research methods. In just one instance, when confounded by the derivation of cryptic words on a Venetian map, Menzies first consults an expert at crossword puzzles rather than an etymologist. Such an approach to scholarship, along with a promise of more proof to come in the paperback edition, casts a shadow of doubt over Menzies's discoveries.

We'll see what dubious research Dr. Lee can add to Menzie's.

cladking

Cool.

Ya gotta contact the guy and ask him what he thinks it is. Even if he's
all wrong, it's still a greatly fascinating thing and might lead to something
important.

worldcoinguy

This thread sounds like it is straight out of a Clive Cussler book! Did you ever read the one about the Library of Alexandria being secreted out of Europe and hidden in the Rio Grande valley? His books are a bit far fetched at times, but fun to think about.

Ok....now the conspiracy theory comes out. Dr. Lee buries a few dozen medals in the area 5 years ago as seeds. We patiently waits for the big discovery, with a team of faithful academic cronies continually combing the internet and local NC news for a discovery. One of the items comes to light, and surprise - it lends credibility to his long time theory that the chinese hit the north american continent many years before. Suddenly he has found the holy grail of artifacts, and a key to proving his theory. Academic stardom.....world speaking circuit.....tenure....

Now that I have introduced that gibberish - there was a fascinating story on the great fleets of the Chinese maratime in the 1300s and 1400s (I cant recall the exact dates). The article was published about 6 months ago in my favorite magazine - National Geographic. The premise is that the huge ocean junks dwarfed the Spanish fleet in the 1400s and 1500s, and traveled the world. It is a very interested read if you can find the exact month. Anybody else read that?

lordmarcovan

<< <i>Ok....now the conspiracy theory comes out. Dr. Lee buries a few dozen medals in the area 5 years ago as seeds. We patiently waits for the big discovery, with a team of faithful academic cronies continually combing the internet and local NC news for a discovery. >>

One problem with that conspiracy theory: I found the item 12 years ago.

WillieBoyd2

The Chinese claim to "discovering America" is an old one.

I live in California and there are claims that rocks found in the Pacific ocean off the coast are actually "Chinese anchors".

I can't see how a Chinese "junk" ship made it's way to the Carolinas, though.

newbiecollector

YOU found it Rob, years ago.

I know you don't think it is exactly as it is being hyped, but I bet ya it is more than you know.

Congrats my friend

lordmarcovan

I think it is possible. Likely? Not very. But interesting to speculate on.

newbiecollector

I will bet ya Rob..........you put up nothing and I will put someting up great for Victoria (she wins both ways)

cladking

<< <i>[]One problem with that conspiracy theory: I found the item 12 years ago. >>



He's a very patient man.