Can anyone read Chinese on this gold bar?

ajaan · September 28, 2005 11:48AM

Any help appreciated.

Preussen · September 28, 2005 11:49AM

10

- Preussen

lordmarcovan · September 28, 2005 11:52AM

It says something like ...

"NATIONAL COLLECTORS MINT... 10 MIL GOLD PROOF... COPY"

docday2003 · September 28, 2005 12:01PM

<< It says something like ...

"NATIONAL COLLECTORS MINT... 10 MIL GOLD PROOF... COPY"

>>

wildjag · September 28, 2005 12:48PM

You spent $3.03 to mail something Media Mail

gxseries · September 28, 2005 2:40PM

If I am not wrong,

Text on the edges: Kelong goldsmith

Middle: Guaranteed.

sumnom · September 28, 2005 4:49PM

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.

gxseries · September 28, 2005 4:59PM

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.

sumnom · September 28, 2005 5:04PM

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.

gxseries · September 28, 2005 5:16PM

Hopefully the attachment is working. Excuse me for my horrible handwriting; I haven't been writting it for years

sumnom · September 28, 2005 5:16PM

attachment?

sumnom · September 28, 2005 5:17PM

oh, attachment!

gxseries · September 28, 2005 5:18PM

Yes, sorry about that, wasn't too sure how it worked. Hopefully you can see it now.

I don't know how on earth you type that out on a chinese keyboard so I gave up.

sumnom · September 28, 2005 5:19PM

Do you have the right radical for the last character of the side text?

gxseries · September 28, 2005 5:23PM

I honestly am not too sure. It is a bit blurry in this picture

Sorry

sumnom · September 28, 2005 5:34PM

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."

sumnom · September 28, 2005 5:35PM

You may be right. It does sound good. As for me, I can't make it out.

ajaan · September 28, 2005 10:26PM

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.

sumnom · September 28, 2005 10:56PM

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.

ajaan · September 28, 2005 11:03PM

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.

sumnom · September 28, 2005 11:13PM

How much does it weigh?

ajaan · September 28, 2005 11:16PM

<< 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.

sumnom · September 28, 2005 11:19PM

Well then, it should bring a pretty penny. It is also out of my price range!!!

Aethelred · September 28, 2005 11:39PM

It says something about "rich milk chocolate" on the left.

That is a VERY neat bar!

docday2003 · September 28, 2005 11:59PM

<< It says something about "rich milk chocolate" on the left.

That is a VERY neat bar! >>

docday2003 · September 29, 2005 12:01AM

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.

gxseries · September 29, 2005 12:34AM

Before we go on, may I suggest we take a look at this page?

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...

sumnom · September 29, 2005 9:54AM

Units of weight varied with time period. Be careful.

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.

lordmarcovan · September 29, 2005 9:59AM

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.

sumnom · September 29, 2005 10:02AM

Lord M, that shows that we can date the bar to September 26!!

ajaan · September 29, 2005 10:26AM

LM, that media mail is your Davenport book.

lordmarcovan · September 29, 2005 10:30AM

goldrush00013 · September 29, 2005 10:41AM

Don't know if this helps or not but I found this link about gold bars.

<< Tael Bars >>

<< 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).

<< 

Linkage

goldrush00013 · September 29, 2005 10:46AM

After looking at the link maybe it's a Baht Bar.

<< 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.

ajaan · September 29, 2005 10:49AM

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.

MSD61 · September 29, 2005 10:52AM

It says "Eat at Wo Fangs. Kids under 12 eat free."

sumnom · September 29, 2005 1:37PM

It doesn't look Thai to me. The ten tael bar looks like a good candidate though.

sumnom · September 29, 2005 1:42PM

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.

sumnom · September 29, 2005 1:49PM

This is the twin coin, obviously not the beast we are looking for.

sumnom · September 29, 2005 5:33PM

Nice link for gold bars, etc.

gxseries · September 29, 2005 9:38PM

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.

SYRACUSIAN · September 29, 2005 9:55PM

I have a scale. Ajaan please send it to me and I'll tell you all there is to know.

ajaan · September 29, 2005 11:22PM

I'll take it to a coin show tomorrow and hopefully someone there will have a scale.

Can anyone read Chinese on this gold bar?

Comments