Can anyone identify what this is?

[floridaunderground]

I found this on the beach yesterday… It seems to be high karat gold, but it’s as thin as aluminum foil… It has a very unique design…. Does anyone have any idea what this may be? Thanks!

 

[Jose The Goon]

It could be pure gold gilt off of some object, and if so, it could be 300 years old or more. Could have been from one of those old wrecks and been floating around in the sea for years. Old PURE gold like that fools people into thinking it was something lost yesterday. I would recommend you have it tested for purity.
Keep these things in mind & maybe the light test that is mentioned here might indicate something.
Gold Leaf: Averages 0.1 microns. If you hold it up to a light source, it is so thin that it becomes semi-transparent.
Gold gilding is incredibly thin. Standard gold leaf (used for gilding) averages about 0.1 to 0.12 microns in thickness. This means it is significantly thinner than regular paper—which is usually around 100 microns thick—and is even thinner than a strand of human hair. [1, 2, 3, 4]
One troy ounce (approx. 31.1 grams) of pure gold can be stretched into a continuous, unbroken wire or thread up to 50 miles (80 kilometers) long.
This extreme length is due to gold's unrivaled ductility, which is its physical property allowing it to be drawn out into a thin wire without breaking. At this length, the resulting thread is incredibly microscopic, measuring roughly 5 micrometers (or 5 microns) in diameter.

 

[floridaunderground]

It could be pure gold gilt off of some object, and if so, it could be 300 years old or more. Could have been from one of those old wrecks and been floating around in the sea for years. Old PURE gold like that fools people into thinking it was something lost yesterday. I would recommend you have it tested for purity.
Keep these things in mind & maybe the light test that is mentioned here might indicate something.
Gold Leaf: Averages 0.1 microns. If you hold it up to a light source, it is so thin that it becomes semi-transparent.
Gold gilding is incredibly thin. Standard gold leaf (used for gilding) averages about 0.1 to 0.12 microns in thickness. This means it is significantly thinner than regular paper—which is usually around 100 microns thick—and is even thinner than a strand of human hair. [1, 2, 3, 4]
One troy ounce (approx. 31.1 grams) of pure gold can be stretched into a continuous, unbroken wire or thread up to 50 miles (80 kilometers) long.
This extreme length is due to gold's unrivaled ductility, which is its physical property allowing it to be drawn out into a thin wire without breaking. At this length, the resulting thread is incredibly microscopic, measuring roughly 5 micrometers (or 5 microns) in diameter.

Wow, thank you so much for your response… It is something very peculiar… I did weigh it, and it is approximately .5 grams… I’ll post any results that I find. Thanks again for reaching out…

 

[floridaunderground]

I’ll probably end up putting it on EBay, see if I get some interest… I will try to determine what karat is is, though…

 

[DizzyDigger]

I’ll probably end up putting it on EBay, see if I get some interest… I will try to determine what karat is is, though…

Welcome to the site...

Just an opinion, but I wouldn't consider putting it up for sale anywhere until
you have determined what it is you have. Yes, that could be just some modern
chachka, but considering where you found it, it's also possible that it came from
some Spanish galleon that's wrecked offshore.

 

[rockcollect]

it is a chinese object of a foodog with luck coins, looks like gold to me.

 

[Red-Coat]

it is a chinese object of a foodog with luck coins, looks like gold to me.

I agree with 'Chinese', but I think a very stylised ‘pixiu’ (also sometimes called Pi Yao) charm rather than a foo dog. A mythical dragon-like creature in Chinese culture (as opposed to foo dogs styled as guardian lions), held to bring wealth, good fortune and protection that often have a good luck symbol on the rump. The two bulges at the bottom appear to be the feet, with the animal facing right. Similar to these:

They’re commonly made in high carat gold and incorporated into bracelets, like this:

 

[rockcollect]

I agree with 'Chinese', but I think a very stylised ‘pixiu’ (also sometimes called Pi Yao) charm rather than a foo dog. A mythical dragon-like creature in Chinese culture (as opposed to foo dogs styled as guardian lions), held to bring wealth, good fortune and protection that often have a good luck symbol on the rump. The two bulges at the bottom appear to be the feet, with the animal facing right. Similar to these:

View attachment 2256227
View attachment 2256228

They’re commonly made in high carat gold and incorporated into bracelets, like this:

View attachment 2256229

yes indeed, but i thought that a pixiu and foodog where the same thats why i wrote that. P.S i have posted my photo's of the jars you requested.

 

[Red-Coat]

yes indeed, but i thought that a pixiu and foodog where the same thats why i wrote that. P.S i have posted my photo's of the jars you requested.

No, not the same, and with different meanings.

Foo dogs resemble a stylized lion with a muscular build, curly mane, and a fierce, roaring expression. The mouth is always open for roaring to ward off evil spirits, and often also holding a carved stone globe in the mouth representing supremacy over the world. Usually depicted splayed majestically on all fours, standing or sitting upright in a highly alert, defensive position.

Pixiu is a chimera with features of a lion, dragon, horse, and a winged body (often with a single horn or multiples). The mouth is usually open and, uniquely, they have no anus since they consume wealth but never let it out! May be depicted sitting, standing, or lying down and often with the head tilted or facing outwards to spot wealth in any direction.

Obviously not all of those features can be seen in the posted item, but I’m pretty sure it’s a pixiu.

I’ll take a look at your jar pictures shortly.

 

[floridaunderground]

it is a chinese object of a foodog with luck coins, looks like gold to me.

It definitely does have a Chinese feel to it…. Thanks!

 

[floridaunderground]

I agree with 'Chinese', but I think a very stylised ‘pixiu’ (also sometimes called Pi Yao) charm rather than a foo dog. A mythical dragon-like creature in Chinese culture (as opposed to foo dogs styled as guardian lions), held to bring wealth, good fortune and protection that often have a good luck symbol on the rump. The two bulges at the bottom appear to be the feet, with the animal facing right. Similar to these:

View attachment 2256227
View attachment 2256228

They’re commonly made in high carat gold and incorporated into bracelets, like this:

View attachment 2256229

Wow, that’s fantastic info yes, that looks very, very similar. If not exact… Thank you so much for the info!

 

[E-Trac-Ohio]

A unique find - congrats !

I'd take it to a local Jeweler or Coin Shop - they will usually tell you what you have there - free of charge.
Good Luck !

 

[russau]

If it were mine , I'd go to a Oriental dealer to get his opinion on what they are and the approximent $$ value and then decide what you want to do with it! Good luck in any event on what you do !

 

[floridaunderground]

Thanks!

 

[floridaunderground]

I found this on the beach yesterday… It seems to be high karat gold, but it’s as thin as aluminum foil… It has a very unique design…. Does anyone have any idea what this may be? Thanks!

I found this on the beach yesterday… It seems to be high karat gold, but it’s as thin as aluminum foil… It has a very unique design…. Does anyone have any idea what this may be? Thanks!

UPDATE on the mysterious gold Chinese Pixiu piece…. I took it to a local jewelry store, and got it tested…. Turned out to be 22 kt gold. So, that was great to find out… Just wanted to share the news… Thanks everyone for all your help! Good luck hunting!