Need Help Identifying Coin

[jpedersen]

I'm finding a lot of great old coins with my new CTX 3030, but here's one I found on a hill on the shore of Lake Michigan.
Looks like a Saxon or Viking-Saxon era coin. Rang in at 12/42 so I assume it's copper.
Very thin presumably hammered. Anyone? Sure appreciate the help!

 

[GKMan]

Well... About the only thing I can make out is the word Nup Shi and maybe that is just wishful thinking that is what it says... I see that on side with the crown starting at about five o clock. On the back I see either a dog or a dragon perhaps but the characters look more asian. I tried all sorts of variations of Google searches regarding Nup Shi but didn't find anything good.

 

[jpedersen]

thanks for your time and input Gary, this one has me stumped. I believe it to be a dragon or possible lion.
inner beaded border and outer beaded border resembles viking or early saxon coinage.

 

[jartbaker]

I did a little searching and came up with this. They are similar...

http://home.eckerd.edu/~oberhot/froy.htm

 

[GKMan]

Some of the characters look similar... I didn't see any lions, or tigers though...

 

[jpedersen]

thank you very much, a whole new direction for me to explore, very similar

 

[jartbaker]

No lions or tigers but there is that crown... The one on the coin above is very peculiar, really cool!!

 

[nw1886]

The crown looks Papal.........

 

[Buried Crap NJ]

The first thought that comes to mind when digging a holed coin is fake. The second give away is thinness as in a jewelry charm. This is nearly always true when the coin feature is of a 300 to 5000 year old coin!
for me only coins during the colonial days or civil war era do you find real coins that were sewn in pockets or used as buttons in the field. Now with that said it isn't impossible that your coin is real.
I just know of the hundreds of fake holed coins I have dug in 39 years I don't ever get my hopes up on holed coins.
BCNJ

 

[jpedersen]

that was my first impression, junk. But when I got it home and looked at others online at auctions and such, I saw too many similarities. Also, many older coins were holed and worn as jewelry, just as they are today. But this coin has wear patterns and seems too intricate to be fake, but I could be wrong. Lots of fun searching for an answer anyway.

 

[GKMan]

My co-worker just got back to me this morning she says it is in Japanese Korean or Chinese..she is Korean herself and can read all 3, so I trust her.

 

[jpedersen]

thanks Gary, I checked for similarities, no luck. I'll keep looking!

 

[GKMan]

Just re read my previous post....I meant to say it is NOT any of those three languages
sorry about that..

 

[AngelicStorm]

Perhaps it is from an undiscovered North American civilization..... You might just have something really rare that gives way to the imagination.

 

[GKMan]

I also had my two Indian coworkers look at it... They didn't recognize anything, bought thought some of the characters looked to be English

 

[nw1886]

Real or copy...it's of European fabric for sure. With a three pointed crown and pellets around the circumference, it's European. (I'm guessing Irish/Catholic...slight chance of French involvement in design.....most likely not?)

I'm a professional coin dealer who's around this a lot and even though I've never seen this coin, it screams Celtic in nature due to the style of lettering. Add to that a three pointed "Papal style" crown, strong Irish population here in America.....I'm thinking it was used as clothing decoration with more, or single sewn on and lost. It looks real too?

Cool things about holed coins:
1. Early America had a tradition of nailing a coin (inside and above a front door) to bless all who entered and left their home with prosperity. Silver and even gold were used in more well off homes.
2. Coins were converted to "token use" for tallying shipping and people movement along canals,early railroads, and toll pikes. Holes would be drilled in the coins and strung on "cat gut" cords for ease of the transaction. Coins with hole/missing silver content would help insure that "intrinsic currency" would stay close to facilitate transaction and not carried off....more difficult to spend (and be treated fairly) away from this commerce.
3. Assembly identification. All it took was a look at a coin sewn on to a persons clothing to see which group they belonged to.
4. Ceremonial and jewelry use.

I bet if you posted this picture on a UK site, identification would come fast!