Help translating this - Chinese or Japanese

[kevinstandage]

 

Can anyone help translate this. The item originates from Honk Kong, circa 1900, but I am unsure if it is Chinese or Japanese.

 

Many thanks,

Kevin

 

[大块头]

How confident are you in the provenance? I'm only able to recognize one character: 元

 

The rest look like they were copied by someone with no knowledge of Chinese or Japanese. Reminds me of the fake blood chit from last year.

 

[Jim]

27 minutes ago, 大块头 said:

How confident are you in the provenance? I'm only able to recognize one character: 元

There's a 光 at the top there too but I like your theory, wonder if it's a copy of an old silver coin, you'd see 光绪元宝 like this: https://baike.baidu.com/item/光绪元宝/4756974?fr=aladdin

As you can see, those two characters are in the right place.

 

[kevinstandage]

Thanks for both your replies.

 

I'm 99.9% sure of the provenance, as there are many other pieces I have successfully identified to that area and I know he was in Hong Kong in the early 1900s (have his army records, photos etc).

 

Perhaps it's just a souvenir he bought before leaving, but I was interested to know what the script said.

 

Here's the other side of the object fyi.

 

 

[Demonic_Duck]

2 hours ago, Jim said:

There's a 光 at the top there too

 

You sure that's 光? Looks like it could also be 先、无、圥...?

[Jim]

4 minutes ago, Demonic_Duck said:

You sure that's 光? Looks like it could also be 先、无、圥...?

No, not sure, but think it's good possibility it was the model on that theory and given the execution of the piece in general. Wouldn't be at all surprised to find it's something else entirely though.

[kevinstandage]

Update for you all, via another forum.

 

The design is from a coin, one of the earlier standardised currencies.
光緒元寶 = Guangxu Yuanbao
Your medallion is not likely a real coin converted to a medallion, I'd say merely the design is inspired by the centre part of the coin with a more stylised character set.
There are hundreds of such examples of this coin design, and a great many variations of the coin over time.

 

 

The Guangxu Emperor reigned from from 1875 to 1908, so that fits on the date front...

[Jim]

Thanks for the follow-up and that's the same as we thought but oddly the the picture you have from the other forum is actually of a coin from a different reign era, Xuantong (Puyi, the last emperor)! Just to add to the fun.