Coin and Paper Money Collecting/identifeying a coin

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Expert: - 10/4/2009


Question

coin
i was recently digging through an old box of stuff and found an old coin it appears to be an Asian coin from around world war 2. on one side it has symbols around the circle of the coin and two crossed flags in the middle the left one appears to have a star on it. the right one just has lines on it. the other side appears to have the word china on it. everything else on it is rubbed off.i would greatly like to know more information about this coin

Answer
Hi Earl,
This is one of the first types from the unified Republic of China, dating from the 1910's (this one is likely 1911-1912). From the size I can tell you it is a 10 cash coin, which is the primary denomination that you might expect to see among Chinese coins. Being fairly common, they start at just a couple of dollars for a circulated coin and $5-$10 for a top grade example. There are also some varieties which are more rare, mostly known as "mules" that combine two sides from different types. These are worth significant money, usually from $50 to $100+ for one in good condition. Based on the picture and description it seems you have one of the regular issues.
I hope that covers everything.
Thanks for the question! =)

Dmitry Livshits

Expertise

My specialty is world coins from the 18th to 20th centuries, primarily non-US foreign coins and related areas such as errors and exonumia (tokens, medals, etc.). I can answer questions relating to identification, grading, selling, preservation and evaluation of such items. In addition to catalog value, I can give you the practical market value and trends for specific types of coins. I will also take questions regarding counterfeits (both modern and antique) and on how to identify them. I am NOT knowledgeable in paper money/banknotes, ancient or "shipwreck" coins. Thank you.

Experience

Collector of world coins since early childhood. Access to a variety of auction records and reference material. You can also find me on Facebook.

Education/Credentials
A.S. in Psychology (2006), B.A. in Forensic Psychology (2008), M.A. in Forensic Psychology (2011).

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