Chinese Railroad Camp pendants/charms

[el remolino]

Hi folks, I am new to this site but have enjoyed viewing everyone's treasures for several months. After yesterdays finds I decided I wanted other people to see what I cam across out in the pasture.

I have been hunting a Chinese Railroad camp for about ten months (when time permits) and have found tons of stuff, most of which many people wouldn't keep. I am just trying to keep it all together for historical purposes. Here are a few pics. of some of the pendants I have found. Four of the five are cut from opium cans. Oh yes, and a photo of the coins from this camp.

Thanks for looking

 

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[Anthony312]

Very neat finds, i cant seem to think of a reason why some people wouldn't keep them.

 

[BuckleBoy]

This is a fantastic collection. Those camps represent a unique time in american--and Chinese!--history. I love the charms.

Looking forward to your future posts,



Buck

 

[Back-of-the-boat]

Very cool finds .

 

[g-olden years]

Fascinating & wonderful! The carefully made butterfly or moth pendants are stunning! Coins groovy, both Chinese & USA. Thanks! Andi

 

[yaxthri]

Did you find the coins in a heep or separately?
They may have actually have been part of coin-charms

Special Uses of Plum Shape Chinese Coin Charms with Red Tassels

 

[jeff of pa]

Nice Historical relics

 

[wheatfinder13]

That is so cool

 

[doc-d]

Very cool stuff........

 

[el remolino]

Thanks for looking, everyone. The coins have pretty much been found sporadically through out the camp which is darn near half a mile long. I recall two small coin spills. Both had three Chinese coins in them. In the top right corner of the coin photo, the black coin is actually a Japanese coin, and the broken piece below the Japanese coin is actually a Vietnamese coin. The third one is so worn that it can't be identified. One of my favorite coins is the real small ones on the far left side. Those are the Hong Kong one mil (only made from 1863-1866, in England).
The largest butterfly pendant and the fruit pendant next to it were both found two days ago. Needless to say I was pretty excited. I believe the two fruit pendants/charms may possibly be pomegranates but have not been able to confirm that. Not sure about the pendant/charm on the far right.
Thanks again for viewing my finds.

 

[0121stockpicker]

Simply awesome!! Thank you for saving this fascinating piece of history.

 

[pepperj]

What's there not to get exited about the finds, the cash coins are a nice find but the cut pendants are really cool. From digging in RR camps and detecting around them I haven't ever found a piece like them.

 

[beau-bc]

Pendants are a rare find,did you find any opium tins not cut up? coins are good also, should be ceramic food and alcohol containers and gambling glass beads somewhere.Also look out for dominoes,alot of them are made from ebony.Sounds like you might be the first one on that site. Great start to a nice collection.Really Like this Thread

 

[Wldbil]

Great Finds... Congrats

 

[johnnycat]

Great stuff. I've searched Chinese RR camps before but, that was without a detector. All I found were small bottles and buttons in the outhouse hole.

 

[el remolino]

Thanks again for the responses. I know I am not the first to look through this camp, just the first to do it thoroughly. Soldiers were stationed near it guarding against Pancho Villa in 1916, and still there guarding RR bridges in WWI and WWII. Therefore any type of ceramic/bottle have been shot up into little bitty pieces with the exception of one. I did find a 12 inch dark black whiskey bottle hidden in the brush from this time period. The Railroad came through here in 1882.

Beau--Yes I have found opium cans that have not been cut, but all have been trampled by stock. Numerous fan tan game pieces cut form opium cans, along with numerous little trays made from opium cans (usually 1" x 1"). Buttons are very common, around 220 mostly just old button four hole buttons. Have 30 something Chinese round "ball" buttons, one with an imprinted design. Glass buttons and game pieces, a brass button from Shanghai, Chinese locks, opium pipe cleaners, scissors, parts of opium lamps, 200plus bullet casings, One general service button, Suspender hardware, pocket knives, match safes, etc. No dominoes, though. It is so dry where I live, that there are still numerous wooden tent stakes still in the ground from 131 years ago. Just the usual trash. It has been a blast hunting this site and it has never skunked me, although the finds are getting less and less.

Thank you for everyone's interest.

Kinley

 

[hikeinmts]

Hi. Great finds. I really like the Chinese pendants. If you have not i.d.ed the Chinese coins yet, I have been i.d.ing Chinese coins for several years....maybe 20 or so. I live/hunt in S. Korea. About every tenth coin is Chinese. So, I have the books to do it with. If you want to, send me emails with attachments of front/back of the coins. I will i.d. them for you. Most will be just like U.S. coins......common. But, there are some that aren't so common, because of a special way the Chinese characters are made. If you decide to, email me: hikeinmts@hotmail.com Be glad to help.

 

[kuger]

Very cool!!I have hunted hundreds of Chinese camps and dug thousands of opium tin pieces but never a charm....very,very cool!!!!^^^^^hike,is a Chinese coin ID ing expert!!!

 

[Steve in PA]

I really like those Chinese relics and coins. Thanks for sharing them. Is there a Chinese cemetary near this camp?

 

[el remolino]

Kuger--I have noticed you an Hike have posted quite a bit on Chinese finds in the past; I was glad y'all viewed the pendants. I am still learning about this Chinese stuff and may have a question from time to time. I really need to post a backlit picture of the larger butterfly. All those punched holes allow the light to come through. It is really neat. In your past excursions, have you ever noticed that these Chinese camps had some type of privy/outhouse? I have yet to see any evidence of this, but I would think they would have to have something with so many people camping in one area.

Hike--truly appreciate wanting to help id any of the coins. I have all but one identified and it is simply too far gone to see any characters. I will keep your email handy if one crops up that I cant identify. The first Hon Kong 1 mil kind of threw me off at first, I rushed home to the computer and learned what it was. Kind of neat.


Steve--I don't know of any cemetery near the camp. The Chinese were not camped here long, I am guessing six months at the most. The estimates from the few records we can find estimate 3,000-5,000 hence all the trash. Typically they didn't stay at a place very long at al,l but the terrain here is cut by numerous canyons so they had to spend a lot of time carting fill to build up the railroad bed. I don't know if they actually helped assemble the bridges or not? There are little ephemeral camps all up and down the tracks.