Ladies of Hive

Vintage Wedding Silver from Taiwan with a 🍷 Toast!

Kerris L Ravenhill@kerrislravenhill (74)16d

Fall is in the air and the Mid-Autumn festival has been checked off the calendar for another tasty year. I'm back with another example of my fringe collection, Cultural shiny we don't see very often in the western world of precious metals. 🍂

“Black birds tend to like shiny things.” ~ The Bloody Raven.

Ben Dalgleish of HK Colonial Coin in Hong Kong again comes through with a pair of these delightfully traditional beauties for me. He had five of these when I claimed a pair and took his word that these are authentic, from Taiwan, 90% silver, dated between 1960s or 1970s. I was tempted to pick up all of them but my conscience says to share with the other collectors.Hong Kong is home to some very big shows like the Hong Kong International Coin & Watch Convention (HICC), where Ben’s connections can source numismatic rarities for his client’s wish lists.

From Taiwan with Love ❤️

If Danny were still among us, he would automatically snap up a pair, one for himself and one to surprise me. He is consistent and persistent knowing he’d wear me down, in a good way.

Taiwanese Wedding gift Sycee, Profile

招財進寶 “May wealth and treasure come in”

富 wealth, 貴 prosperity, 財 money, 寶 treasure

Length 32mm x Height 17.5mm x Depth 15mm

The origin of the Sycee ingot began with the Qin dynasty 230 BC functioning as Imperial gold and silver currency until the end of the Qing dynasty in 1911.

In present day traditional symbolism the Sycee represents wealth and prosperity often emphasized in celebrations like the Mid-Autumn festival, the Chinese New Year and in this case a fruitful union blessing of a newly wed couple.

Taiwanese Wedding gift Sycee,Top

泰昌造Made by Taichang

福Good fortune,禄 prosperity, 壽 Longevity,喜 happiness.

Weight 30 grams

Enlisting the help of ChatGPT I can expect about 60 to 75% accuracy in the translation. The reflective nature of silver and the casting process makes reading difficult along with the inherent limitations of my smartphone. I will need to get a microscopic camera and start re-learning my long lost Cantonese and pick up some basic survival Mandarin. It seems apparent that my Canadian Liberal government wants to put the red carpet out and welcome in socialism here.

Taiwanese Wedding gift Sycee, Bottom

壹兩 one Tael

足銀 Pure silver, 東昌造 Made by Taichang

maker/craftsman mark

90% Silver

Mintage; unknown

I can’t find any further information of the maker or numbers minted. That information will have to be unearthed at another opportunity I suspect as off line. My only clue; "東昌造 Made by Taichang."

A beautiful pair of silver Sycee I am happy to have in my cultural legacy collection. I can imagine the reception for the bridal party. The happy Bride and Groom dressed in their matched elegant traditional red and gold wedding outfits. A colorful and aromatic sumptuous banquet is served. Blessings, well wishes, toasts and silver with a hope of prosperity, good fortune and wealth.

The Toast to the newly Wedded Couple 🍷

Back in November 2024 my brother and I were sorting my late Mother’s possessions when we came across this dusty old bottle that appears to be some sort of liquor. It was part of a small assortment of Asian bottles tucked in the closet out of the way.

Apparently this drink is referred to as Moutai from the Moutai Distillery of Kweichow China. The bottom of the front label lists this beverage at a potent throat scouring 53% alcohol by volume, 106 Proof, 0.54 liters./18.3 FL.OZ. Let me tell you up front that I can no longer drink alcoholic beverages on orders of my Doctor, but I have to ask, “Is this any good?”

Asking my elders, they said that this expensive drink is served on special occasions like establishing a successful business venture, celebrating a historical event, commemorate a special agreement, big boss retirement/promotion or special rich marriage. There’s that word again. I don’t know what my mother was saving this for. Perhaps she decided to put it away for something else considering my poor choice of a former spouse.

And on a positive note, I may save this for my Son’s wedding or sell it to someone who can appreciate this beverage. Just look at the selling price at my central BC Liquor retailer. $588.00 CAD! I’m simply shocked. This product embodies a status symbol. And here's the kicker, the label indicating contents in imperial units in Fl. Oz., 0.54L rather than 500ml, is an old vintage. I may need to get this appraised.

I'm out of my league here, What would you do with a rare bottle of Kweichow Moutai liquor?

Set it aside for a very special family event? 🤔 Sell it to the highest bidder? Any advice or suggestion would be appreciated in the comments below.

Here's an informative video profiling the Moutai Distillery Company produced by the WSJ.

$500.00 USD for one bottle. That could buy an awful lot of Mid-Autumn festival Moon cake. I wish all my Hive friends a prosperous Harvest related holiday wherever you are.

And thank you for coming aboard my blog today. 🥂 Cheers!

Stacking Precious metals and Crypto for those dark stormy days!

The #piratesunday tag is the scurvy scheme of Captain @stokjockey for #silvergoldstackers pirates to proudly showcase their shiny booty and plunder for all to see. Landlubbers arrrh… welcomed to participate and be a Pirate at heart so open yer treasure chests an’ show us what booty yea got!

Relevant Related Posts

2024 Republic of Chad's Dragon Boat and the Dragon Boat Festival. May Blooms and a Memory of my Dragon Collector. That Chinese Heirloom Dragon Phoenix gold bracelet.

References & Sources

Website; Official Moutai China. Website; BCLiquor kweichow moutai chiew flying fairy. Website; Travel China Guide keichow moutai China’s No.1 National liquor.

Photos are my own shot with a Samsung 24F or otherwise indicated. P. Image under Pixabay W. Wiki Commons ☠️🎃 Page Dividers by thekittygirl. ❄️🌞 Cameo Raven Brooch from The Black Wardrobe.

"I’m just a gal in black, not a bloody Financial Advisor!"

Physical precious metals bullion stacking is only a part of my personal overall financial strategy. Meanwhile, collecting numismatics are a different set of objectives and strategy. Unless you are a complete nutcase as I am please, do your research before deciding to buy into any bullion or numismatic products. 🙃

Comments · 19

@delowar41(57)· 8d
Such wonderful guidelines on coin collecting—reading your post brought back memories of my own childhood, as I used to do the same things back then.
@gwajnberg(77)· 10d
wow a 600$ liquor!! rich xDDD hahah Never had something like that in my life
@metzli(68)· 14d
You smoke it! I mean, drink it. LOL.

Let us know what you do with it.
@dimante(58)· 14d
What a wonderful read! It brought back memories of my late grandmother. I was only nine years old when we were clearing out her belongings and found royal silver plates and spoons hidden away in her attic. My dad sold them at the time for a decent sum, but whenever I look at antiques now, I think of her. I often wish he had kept a piece for me, and it always makes me eager to learn the history behind old items, as every single piece has its own unique story.

I strongly encourage you to hold onto that liquor for a special family occasion. That way, the bottle's story can continue to be passed down through generations—after all, memories like these are truly rare and precious.
@ifarmgirl(80)· 15d
I don't know much about silver and stuff, but that lil Sycee is a beauty❤️

As for the liquor, the second option sounds more appealing😉 Surely, some people out there would bid on it.

@hivebuzz(74)· 15d

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Congratulations @kerrislravenhill! You received a personal badge!

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@davedickeyyall(79)· 15d
What would you do with a rare bottle of Kweichow Moutai liquor?

Me:

!LADY
@mrdani12(77)· 15d
✨ Curated with care by Ecency. Keep creating! 💙 Curator — @mrdani12
@elizabethbit(76)· 16d
I love the silver sis! It's so different and beautiful! I can see why you snatched them up.

As for the drink--I say that if you can't drink it, and if it doesn't break any family hearts, I'd auction that baby off (after the appraisal) to the highest bidder! You never know just who might be willing to pay above and beyond it's price!

Thanks for sharing sis! Hugs! 🤗🌹 !LADY
@ladiesofhive(72)· 16d

^!LADY
@thekittygirl(75)· 16d
Those little Sycee ingots are cute! What a great way for your fortune, treasure, longevity, and happiness to be delivered, in a little boat! Hope your fall festival is wonderful and your Moon Cakes are delicious! 😊
@thebighigg(78)· 16d
That is such a cool piece of silver! What a nice piece to have in the stack, it that chest of pirate booty! That is awesome!

How are you feeling these days?
@silvertop(76)· 16d
I love the pair of silver Sycee you picked up, so very special.... I'm sure these will be in your forever Silver stack!👍😀 So much more memorable than traditional Silver rounds or bars!!😇
@cautiva-30(74)· 16d
Both options for the drink look tempting; saving it for your son's wedding would be very moving, as would selling it to someone who knows how to appreciate it. I love the pieces for your collections—have a wonderful day @kerrislravenhill !LADY !PIZZA
@luckyali(77)· 16d
Those metals are tremendous, but they are expensive for me.
@pizzabot(60)· 16d
PIZZA!

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@cagolistic(67)· 16d
My goodness, A quick check on the Naira equivalent gave me around 823,200 here. That way, I can invest it in property or farm management and earn interest, or buy a fraction of property and resell it after it appreciates.

However, from the story, I believe your late mum (sorry for the loss) preserved it for a special occasion. If your son is close to getting married, it will be fantastic to keep it for his special day, which will create a strong memory for a lifetime.

But for the stacking and currencies found, it is interesting how you keep tabs on the history and updates about the coins. Well done !LADY !PIZZA !STRIDE !ALIVE

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@ladytoken(55)· 16d

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