Gx, not saying that you are wrong but, how did you get that? I am having a hard time reading the characters. I suspect that that the middle bit is something about the weight or the fineness. The last two characters on the edge might be "gold bullion" but I cannot make them out fully. Do you know the pinyin? What is the word for "goldsmith?" Are you sure about the "ke" of "kelong?" I am out of my area here but I thought I would ask.
Yes, I do know Chinese, except that I haven't used it for ages. Chinese is one moron language that if you don't use it for a certain time, you will forget it eventually. One sec, I will try to write it out here in a moment.
If you could write it out, that would be great. I can't make it out. What is the center? I can guess but because of the rubbing, some parts are missing.
I cannot find "ke" in my dictionaries as you have written it. Nor can I find your rendition of the middle text as a compound. Same goes for "goldsmith."
Thank for trying guys. The bar belongs to my son. He was given it by his grandmother who bought it many years (10 or so) ago in Hong Kong or Macau. He may be interested in selling it, he's a poor College student now, and I'm trying to get some info on the bar, such as fineness and weight.
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Ajaan, I think that the middle bit may be a statement of fineness but it is hard to tell with some key parts of the characters worn away. I suspect that the bar is pure gold, however.
Sumnon, I suspect it is pure gold also. It would be very unlikely my son's Thai gradmother would buy anything less. I'm just wondering how difficult it would be to sell in the US if my son decides to do so. Again, thanks for your replies.
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Don't know. I don't have a scale that can weigh it. Something else I have to find out. My guessimate is 7 ounces but I want to really find out the gram weight.
DPOTD-3 'Emancipate yourselves from mental slavery'
PS if it turns out, once you have more info, that the bar is pure gold, and that it is worth a small premium above melt, I may be interested. Let me know.
From the bar itself, we definately can tell that it has a unit of 10 and I don't suspect that there is anything wrong with that.
The only problem is, WHAT UNIT can it possible be. I am really suspecting that it's taels, which works out to be 13.33 ounces or 378grams, but honestly I can't tell how big that bar is from the picture here. I think it would help if you get a scale right away...
I don't know where and how exactly the gold bar is made, but that is definately pretty old, definately made prior to the 60s if I am not mistaken...
Can't help with the bar, but I can read the print on the other side of the piece of paper it's layin' on... It's a post office receipt from Buffalo, NY. ("Hiler Station?"). September 26th.
The cashier's name is covered up. Something was sent Media Mail.
Don't know if this helps or not but I found this link about gold bars.
<< <i>Tael Bars >>
<< <i>A tael is a Chinese unit of weight. One tael is equivalent to 1.2 oz or 37.4 g. Tael bars, ranging from � tael to 10 taels, are widely traded in Chinese-speaking countries, mainly Hong Kong and Taiwan.
Cast tael bars are manufactured in 3 shapes: ‘biscuits’, ‘doughnuts’ and ‘boats’ and the Exhibition displays a variety of tael bars from manufacturers in Hong Kong.
‘Boat’ Bars
Tael bars, described as ‘boats’, range from � tael to 10 taels. The traditional ‘boat’ shape is known to have been used for silver and other Chinese coinage as far back as the Han dynasty (206 BC - 220 AD).
<< <i>The baht is a Thai unit of weight. The most popular bar is the 10 baht cast bar, equivalent to 150.4 g or 4.9 oz. The traditional gold purity of baht bars is unusual: 96.5%. The Exhibition displays baht bars issued by a variety of manufacturers. >>
Good link. I also am thinking it may be a baht bar, but there is no Thai writing on the bar. I'm pretty sure it wasn't bought in Thailand but I could be mistaken.
DPOTD-3 'Emancipate yourselves from mental slavery'
Well, I eat my words. This may well be Thai, manufactured by "Yoo Long Kim Kee," which is a very, very probable reading for the text on the side of the bar. There is a sizable Chinese community in Thailand.
‘Twin-Coin’ Bar Yoo Long Kim Kee (Thailand) was the first to manufacture a decorative cast bar to a precise weight through injecting gold into an enclosed mould under pressure. The Exhibition displays an experimental 1 baht bar, described as a ‘twin-coin’ bar, which was manufactured in 1992.
I don't think this is a "twin coin bar" but I'll bet it is the same company, which would suggest that this bar is of quite recent manufacture.
Interesting... who knows what the denomination it is.
Ajaan, just for god sake borrow a scale and weight it up so that we will have an idea what unit it is supposed to be. From there, we can guess what origins it is from.
Comments
"NATIONAL COLLECTORS MINT... 10 MIL GOLD PROOF... COPY"
<< <i>It says something like ...
"NATIONAL COLLECTORS MINT... 10 MIL GOLD PROOF... COPY"
>>
Text on the edges: Kelong goldsmith
Middle: Guaranteed.
I don't know how on earth you type that out on a chinese keyboard so I gave up.
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<< <i>How much does it weigh? >>
Don't know. I don't have a scale that can weigh it. Something else I have to find out. My guessimate is 7 ounces but I want to really find out the gram weight.
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Don
That is a VERY neat bar!
WNC Coins, LLC
1987-C Hendersonville Road
Asheville, NC 28803
wnccoins.com
<< <i>It says something about "rich milk chocolate" on the left.
That is a VERY neat bar! >>
This has a whole list of ancient units of weights from US troy pounces to Chinese taels etc.
Weight conversion
From the bar itself, we definately can tell that it has a unit of 10 and I don't suspect that there is anything wrong with that.
The only problem is, WHAT UNIT can it possible be. I am really suspecting that it's taels, which works out to be 13.33 ounces or 378grams, but honestly I can't tell how big that bar is from the picture here. I think it would help if you get a scale right away...
I don't know where and how exactly the gold bar is made, but that is definately pretty old, definately made prior to the 60s if I am not mistaken...
How do you know it is pre-1960s? I too think it is a bit older as well. This is only a hunch but I am guessing on the basis of the calligraphy.
The cashier's name is covered up. Something was sent Media Mail.
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<< <i>Tael Bars >>
<< <i>A tael is a Chinese unit of weight. One tael is equivalent to 1.2 oz or 37.4 g. Tael bars, ranging from � tael to 10 taels, are widely traded in Chinese-speaking countries, mainly Hong Kong and Taiwan.
Cast tael bars are manufactured in 3 shapes: ‘biscuits’, ‘doughnuts’ and ‘boats’ and the Exhibition displays a variety of tael bars from manufacturers in Hong Kong.
‘Boat’ Bars
Tael bars, described as ‘boats’, range from � tael to 10 taels. The traditional ‘boat’ shape is known to have been used for silver and other Chinese coinage as far back as the Han dynasty (206 BC - 220 AD).
<< <i>
Linkage
<< <i>The baht is a Thai unit of weight. The most popular bar is the 10 baht cast bar, equivalent to 150.4 g or 4.9 oz. The traditional gold purity of baht bars is unusual: 96.5%. The Exhibition displays baht bars issued by a variety of manufacturers. >>
I guess you need a scale that can weigh it.
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‘Twin-Coin’ Bar
Yoo Long Kim Kee (Thailand) was the first to manufacture a decorative cast bar to a precise weight through injecting gold into an enclosed mould under pressure. The Exhibition displays an experimental 1 baht bar, described as a ‘twin-coin’ bar, which was manufactured in 1992.
I don't think this is a "twin coin bar" but I'll bet it is the same company, which would suggest that this bar is of quite recent manufacture.
Ajaan, just for god sake borrow a scale and weight it up so that we will have an idea what unit it is supposed to be. From there, we can guess what origins it is from.
myEbay
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