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Please help me identify this Chinese coin-
Scavenger
Posts: 987
I've exhausted all my resources and cant find anything about it. Maybe it's not a coin but rather a token?
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In Japanese the characters on the reverse would read "Hei An Shitsu Niu", but since I think I can see some manchu writing on the obverse, it would be a Chinese coin and the characters would be read differently. There was a Heian era in Japan, and I strongly suspect that the coin was cast during a Chinese era specified on the coin.
To have any hope of finding it in Fisher's Ding, I need to see the obverse characters clearly enough to identify them.
Tentatively, I think it's a coin, and judging by the general appearance I'd place it quite late in the millenium+ life of the brass cash coin, possibly mid-late 19th Century. In fact, since the top and bottom characters on the reverse can roughly be translated as "exit" and "entrance", it may very well be a form of trade money.
Now watch Sumnon, or some other expert in Chinese cash coins, come along and reveal that I'm all wrong, and don't know what I am talking about.
I'll try to get a clearer picture and post it, thanks for your help.
Hold on, I will look at it again.
In the upper image, which is upside-down, the text reads something along the lines of "Exiting and entering, peace and tranquility." This is a common thing to see written near doorways in restaurants, businesses, and homes. It is a wish for peace for those coming to and leaving from your door.
The lower image looks to me to show a pair of dragons.
In short, this is a charm, not a coin. It is probably Chinese but that is not a given.
Let me think a little more...
<< <i>Now watch Sumnon, or some other expert in Chinese cash coins, come along and reveal that I'm all wrong, and don't know what I am talking about. >>
Josh - Once again I deeply bow to your superior knowledge (and far better eyesite
I was concentrating so hard on the fact that Hei-an is an era name in Japan, that I ignored the meaning, which as you indicated is in fact "Peace and Tranquility".
Perhaps if I had been able to discern what the reverse looked like I might have realized that it was a charm, but even then, my ignorance of the common usage of that phrase probably would have still left me in the dark as to the full significance of the piece.
Good show!
You are correct about the lower image, two dragons facing each other. It sounds like you are very experienced in this area and I think that you are right about this being a charm, that explains why I couldnt find any information about it. I would like to thank everyone that responded for your help.