Expert: Dmitry Livshits - 9/9/2010

Question
My uncle recently gave me several coins and two of them are very old Chinese coins, they are copper I believe. One of them has been passed down through the family for generations and was believed to be from chines immigrants that helped put the railroad through WV when it first came through this area. I'm trying to find some info on them. It has Chinese writings on 1 of these and nothing else. The other is in fairly good shape. How can I identify these? Thanks

Answer
Hi Wes,
I can certainly help you identify the coins, though I would need clear pictures of both sides. You can e-mail me pictures directly at BetweenEarthnSky@yahoo.com
The history you mention is quite interesting. I must tell you that it's very likely that the sentimental/historical value is likely stronger than the actual monetary collectible value. The vast majority of Chinese copper and bronze coins, even dating back over 1,000 years, are fairly common and not particularly valuable. There are some rare types though, so you never know.
I look forward to receiving the pictures.
Thanks for the question! =)