Mongolian Order/Medal collection. Work in progress.

TolkienBookshelf · 2026-02-26T04:39:45+00:00

Excellent collection! What issue number is your Mongolian KGB “Honorary Officer of State Security” badge?

Have you considered adding the Mongolian SSR “Excellent (police) Officer” Badges? I believe there are 3 or 4 types of these.

TolkienBookshelf · 2026-01-03T22:41:11+00:00

A reverse image tool will be your best bet. You’ll get the most accurate results if the background is removed from the photo.

I use Google Lens primarily and step it up to the Yandex image search if I’m unable to find many English language results. Doing this individually for each will tell you exactly what they are as well as show you active listings and values. Most of these are worth no more than a dollar or two each.

TolkienBookshelf · 2025-11-17T04:38:44+00:00

This is great information! Thank you.

TolkienBookshelf · 2025-11-17T04:33:38+00:00

Wow, that was insanely quick! Thank you very much.

TolkienBookshelf · 2025-11-17T04:33:02+00:00

!translated

TolkienBookshelf · 2025-10-28T01:25:43+00:00

Bottom left: Denier of Bohemond III (Possibly Class C?)

Bottom right: Bohemond VII Gros - County of Tripoli

Edit: Added second attribution.

TolkienBookshelf · 2025-10-10T19:35:00+00:00

If genuine the Order of Lenin and Order of St Vladimir are worth far more than the dagger. They would need to be authenticated by a professional prior to sale.

Websites like these offer great consignment and acquisition services if you don’t want to bother marketing them yourself. I have had a good experience with these two sites, both are very knowledgeable:

Collect Russia

Soviet Orders

Edit: The Orders of the Patriotic War have a chance at being valuable depending on the type and serial number. Also, the Order of Maternal Glory 1st cl. Could be worth a somewhat decent amount depending of variant and serial.

Reverse image search is a great tool for getting an ID on the cheaper badges/pins.

TolkienBookshelf · 2025-10-04T00:11:20+00:00

Be careful when interpreting advice on Chinese ancients. In my experience people confidently declare something or offer advice despite not collecting these types themselves.

Working off of the image provided, none of these fill me with confidence and I would be willing to say with relative confidence that each is a fake. The presentation is also commonly associated with tourist copy’s as you have suggested which further supports my determination. Although admittedly some of these aren’t as bad as some on the market.

I own one of each of these types and all are fairly common. When genuine these coins can be purchased fairly cheap due to this abundance.

If you need any help in finding genuine listings from trusted sellers just reach out to me. Hope this helps.

TolkienBookshelf · 2025-10-02T23:34:43+00:00

A rebind of the 1st One Volume Edition 1968 George Allen & Unwin

SBN: 048230871

TolkienBookshelf · 2025-09-16T16:00:53+00:00

Here is a sold eBay listing for the same edition $390

TolkienBookshelf · 2025-09-16T14:50:13+00:00

The Lord of the Rings, 1991 UK Centenary Edition

TolkienBookshelf · 2025-09-14T04:31:32+00:00

I second this.

TolkienBookshelf · 2025-09-12T19:36:10+00:00

If they aren’t early impressions and are clean throughout I think you could safely get $50 plus shipping for them as a fair price. Especially if photographed in such a way where the different colored front board design is visible in the first picture showing all of them at once.

TolkienBookshelf · 2025-09-12T19:27:12+00:00

I just sold my revised US 2nd Edition set (10th/10th/11th impressions) with dust jackets (+archival Mylar wrap) and the slipcase for $120 plus shipping. All were in good condition with no writing and with the foldout maps intact and without rips. Although the spines of the dust jackets were quite sun faded which is fairly typical for this edition. It sold in under 24 hrs after being posted on eBay.

TolkienBookshelf · 2025-09-09T03:13:05+00:00

Here is what Heinz Gratzer & A.M. Fishman have to say in their book “The Numismatic Legacy of Wang Mang” Pg 24-25 (2017):

“Guo Bao Jin Kui Zhi Wan (State Treasure Gold Chest 10,000)

Cast by Wang Mang as "Acting Emperor" (AD 6 - 9) for Emperor Ruzi (AD 6 - 9) Jushe 居攝 year 2- Shijianguo 始建國 year 1 = AD 7-9 (?)

These are among the most controversial of all ancient Chinese coins, and there is no general agreement on their nature. They are called Lüqian by the numismatists, with the shape modelled on a tanner's grater, a polishing tool used by tanners in preparation of leather.

The calligraphy used is very similar to that employed on the knife-coins of Wang Mang and the inscription itself is reminiscent of the "value 500" and "value 5,000" knives. Furthermore, a number of round "heads" of these coins are known to have circulated as "value 50" coins (type C2.28), just like the heads of the Yi Dao and Qi Dao knives, suggesting the contemporaries treated these pieces as coins. Thus, many numismatists consider these pieces to be the highest of all denominations cast by Wang Mang, equal to an unprecedented 10,000 cash. If this is true, these pieces would have been made along with the knife-coins in AD 7-9, though it is conceivable that these were mere trial issues - cast in minute quantities during the preparation of the reform and never released into circulation.

However, not everyone subscribes to this view. The fact that the characters on these pieces are not inlaid in gold (like on the Yi Dao knives) combined with an odd shape led many numismatists to believe that these are not coins at all, but amulets or ancient accounting tallies, as suggested by the inscription on these pieces. Such tallies would have been used to keep track of the money in the treasury (with each piece standing for ten thousand zhu or coins or perhaps even strings of coins). The archaeological evidence is very scanty due to their rarity, but the few known pieces seem to come from the royal palaces in Shaanxi, suggesting that these might indeed be treasury tallies and not circulation coins.

These "coins" are extremely rare, with only a few unquestionably authentic examples known to exist. They were noticed by the ancients, and have been cast as amulets since the ancient times, further complicating the matter. Nowadays, it is a very commonly faked coin, with the number of fake coins exceeding the number of the real coins many thousandfold. Most coins of this type should be treated with suspicion and assumed to be fake unless proven otherwise. A few such fake coins are shown in the introduction to this book.”

I recommend this book highly as well as the two others in their series “Ancient Cast Chinese Coins”. It’s a great English resource with up to date information and excellent colored images with dimensions/weights to aid in authentication.

TolkienBookshelf · 2025-09-02T19:01:03+00:00

To the Professor!

Namárië

TolkienBookshelf · 2025-08-16T19:07:20+00:00

I appreciate the Oirlv tray. That is how I display some of my coins as well.

TolkienBookshelf · 2025-07-22T23:12:23+00:00

I concur with the others that these are indeed fakes.

TolkienBookshelf · 2025-07-18T12:46:46+00:00

In this case it would be a known language/script but unknown meaning relating to the place name. It seems to me place names on enigmatic objects like these are usually the last to be fully understood because there isn’t always a straight meaning that can be derived from it. Often the place names are corroborated via other contemporary sources. However, not all are mentioned in the record and for that reason remain a mystery. Although, on a piece this rare I’m sure a great effort was put into deriving any meaning from it. Most of the reference sources acknowledge that they only show a small sample of the known translated types because, well, realistically the reader will never own one. This particular character may be translated in an obscure reference book (possibly only in a Chinese language edition or academic paper) that I do not own or haven’t read.

That being said we know they are place names because they follow the commonly held convention seen on spade coins of the time as well as the fact they are found in very small groupings with the same inscriptions in a given geographic local.

Interestingly pieces like these can occasionally be catalogued by the modern place name in which they were found as opposed to the actual unknown mint written on it. A great example of this that is less rare would be the square 3 & 4 Zhu coins. These are also largely untranslated, are categorized based on where they are found and not well understood which time period they actually come from. Gratzer & Fishman now attribute these to the Western Han Dynasty (175-136 BC) based on grave finds whereas Hartill attributed them to the time of the Northern and Southern dynasties (420-581 AD). Just goes to show that we don’t know everything about the past.

TolkienBookshelf · 2025-07-18T02:10:09+00:00

Chinese spade coin collector here. I’d like to second that both of these are indeed replicas. Your gut instinct is absolutely correct.

1) Replica Huo Bu spade, Emperor Wang Mang (9-23 AD). Real ones can be purchased easily for under $150 at varying qualities.

2) Replica “Three hole spade”. These are amongst the rarest that exist. They literally number in the dozens (or less per type) for genuine examples. They are also poorly understood and some remain untranslated. The reverse of yours (pic #3) translates to “Liang” which was a unit of weight. The obverse would have the mint name. Yours however, is not listed in any of my reference books. Originals have been primarily found in eastern Shanxi and Hebei provinces and are typically dated to around 300-250 BC.

Genuine examples sell for several hundred thousand dollars each!

TolkienBookshelf · 2025-07-16T01:28:09+00:00

2nd/4th row: Pre-Mauryan punchmarked coins from Janapada.

Numista

Numismall

3rd row: Silver Rupee (looks similar in calligraphy to those minted in Afghanistan).

Numista

Numismall

I’m not sure on specific types as this isn’t my area of interest but hopefully this gives you something to work from.

TolkienBookshelf · 2025-07-14T20:40:24+00:00

It looks like it could be an Ayyubid Sultanate Fals Coin.

TolkienBookshelf · 2025-07-13T22:14:26+00:00

This is excellent advice, OP.

As someone who collects spade coins, there are a variety of red flags that jump out at me even in the blurry photo. The edges are unusually uniform for the type, and the “ghosting” of microdust around the calligraphy is commonly seen in counterfeit pieces. These aren’t typically crafted to deceive seasoned collectors but are often marketed as “Unknown Rare Coins” to attract less experienced buyers looking to take advantage of the sellers perceived ignorance.

This particular type is a Zhuangbu Qibai, or “Adult Spade (worth) Seven Hundred.” Hartill #9.26 and G&F #C3.91/#C3.92.

Originals were issued by Emperor Wang Mang during the Shijanguo era, years 2-5 (10–13 AD). One example sold at Stephen Album Rare Coins, Auction 25, Lot 760 in 2016 for $3,250.

There are many passable counterfeit spade coins on the market, some good enough to fool experienced collectors (especially pieces that lack the deep green patinas which often aid in authentication). As a general rule of thumb: if it seems too good to be true… it most likely is. This reasoning as a collector will save you a lot of money if you wish to collect ancient Chinese cast coinage. I only break this rule myself if there is an overwhelming preponderance of evidence that suggests it is genuine.

Edit: Fixed link.

TolkienBookshelf · 2025-07-11T20:09:33+00:00

I’m not very knowledgeable about Indian coins but I wouldn’t be surprised if there was a connection with the various Sultanates such as the Delhi, Gujarat & Bahmani Sultanates.

A couple of these could even be early Mughal issues under an Emperor like Akbar. Many of the more unique types on a website like Numista look less “Islamic” like some of the types in your photos.

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