The charm has a diameter of 21.3 mm and a weight of 3.6
grams.
This Chinese token is displayed at Chinese
Tokens and has clearly seen much use. It was probably cast in
Jiangsu Province in the middle to late 1800's.
Because of the wear, I am still trying to decipher the characters.
The character at the top looks like qian
(前) meaning before, front, forward, etc.
The character to the left of the center hole appears to be mao (茂) which means "rich and
splendid".
I cannot make out the characters to the right and below the center hole.
For your reference purposes, this is the other side of the token.
The inscription reads yi
bai wen zheng (一佰文正) which means
"one hundred cash coins only".
The token is 27 mm in diameter and weighs 6.7 grams.
This may be a charm or, perhaps, a game piece.
The inscription reads bai xian chang
shou (百仙长寿).
Bai xian (百仙)
means
"hundred immortals" or "hundred fairies".
Chang shou (长寿)
means
"long life" or "longevity".
I am unclear as to the reference to the "hundred immortals" and am
hoping that someone can provide some guidance.
The deer also represents success in attaining an official government
position which brings with it honor and wealth.
Another example of a single deer on the reverse side of a charm may be
seen
at "Men Plow, Women
Weave".
You will also notice that between the legs of the deer is a Chinese
character which, unfortunately, is difficult to identify because of the
wear. The character may be dao
(道) or tong (通) or ???.
I am hoping a visitor can help identify this character.
One last characteristic of this piece is that it has a round hole
instead of a square hole.
The diameter is 27 mm and the weight is 9.5 grams.
The inscription on this old charm reads yu jin deng qing (玉禁澄清).
However, I am having difficulty understanding the hidden meaning
of this inscription.
The reverse side of the charm displays a dragon on the right and a
phoenix on the left.
The charm has a diameter of 34 mm and a weight of 11.8 grams.
Again, I would very much like to hear
from you if you can provide
information on any of the above charms and tokens.