Firefly/Serenity Coins

Boba Debt

Boba Debt

Master Member
The old thread about this subject seems to have died so I figured I could rekindle the interest in these coins with some new info and tips on how to locate these coins


First and foremost I want to thank Toothtech for his work on this subject, he is the pioneer and deserves all of the credit for identifying these coins.


Using his info I have been collecting these coins I consider to be "positively identified".


Here is a picture of the real coins with His Number System which I used to list my collection:

[image]http://home.ec.rr.com/bobadebt/FFCoinNumbers.jpg[/image]




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Now here are some very clear pictures of the coins I have collected so far with some info about each coin

#4 "Letters"
Similar coins are easy to find on ebay but this version is more rare
PC4.jpg



# 8 "Junket".
Pretty common and easy to find on ebay for about $7
PC8.jpg



#9 "General"
This was the most difficult coin to find on ebay, I got lucky and found a seller that had 6 for sell.
PC9.jpg


#11 "Skinny Man"
Not as common but can be found on ebay for about $7. I know of 2 versions of this one. The obverse (face) seems to be the same but the reverse is different. One states its "ONE DOLLAR" the other states it's a "Memento"
PC11_1.jpg

PC11.jpg



#12
Pretty
Common and easy to find on ebay for about $7, just make sure it has the 4 skinny characters across the top and the leaf clusters on the side
PC12.jpg




#13 "Fat Man"
Pretty Common and easy to find on ebay for about $7, just make sure it has 7 characters across the top.
PC13.jpg



#14
Not as common but can be found on ebay for about $7. The more common coins have 4 and 6 characters across the top and I am very convinced that the prop coin has 5
PC14.jpg



#15 "Dragon"
Very common and can be found on ebay for $7 but there are many variations. Most have to do with the number of characters across the top of the obverse but there is a more rare version of the back that features the Fatman, I prefer this version since it seems to "fit" more even though I doubt we will ever know what the back looks like.
PC15.jpg


The above prices include shipping





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Toothtech and I have discussed this subject via email and he has provided me with enough proof that had no reservations about buying any of the above coins, in fact I have several of some :)

I have learned a few lessons about buying these that I am happy to share.

1. CHECK THE COST OF SHIPPING. Some sellers have ridiculous shipping rates and even though I didn't get bite I could have.

2. If the seller sends the wrong coin make him pay the cost of return shipping and make sure he send the new coin in ASAP

3. Contact the sellers to see if they will sell you multiples of the same coins, if that interests you.

4. Make sure they are the diameter that you believe to be correct, these coins can look identical yet they can vary up to 1' in size. I believe most are 1.5" in diameter



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I would be happy to share more info but only if there is some interest in this subject.

So if you have question or collections please post below.

Even though some may never be identified I think we might figure out a few more if enough people get invloved.
 
Hate to seem ungrateful but as I said Toothtech deserves all of the credit.

I'm just re-presenting his info in a different light


Originally posted by Lord Abaddon@Jan 11 2006, 01:35 AM
WOW.   :eek   Great summary and pics of the coins.  Wonderful work David.
[snapback]1155758[/snapback]​
Click to expand...
 
I'm very interested in learning more.

Couple of questions:

Are the ones you have the real coins or the counterfeit versions? Either way, they look nice.

Is there any known "real world" information that would make it easier to find these coins? I'm referring to things like common nomenclature in collector's circles, date ranges, etc. There are a couple of coin shops nearby and it would be nice to go in armed with as much knowledge as possible.

Thanks,
Patrick
 
I'm pretty sure that 99% of the coins offered on ebay are re-productions but that is kind of a mute point since I doubt that the prop department bought authentic antique Chinese coins for the show.


Toothtech told me that he bought a very expensive book but it didn't help him at all.

The easiest way to research these coins is through eBay, there are hundreds of them listed.

Once you find a distinguishable feature you can find different variations of the coin and by comparing the variations you can identify other features to confirm which version is the most correct.
 
Thanks David, but you deserve a lot of credit as well for making me think more about the variations & researching them better. :thumbsup

The book I had was on unusal coins--a standard collecting book might be more helpful.

I'm pretty sure that most of the coins I have are "replicas" (legal or otherwise)--some are more obvious than others. If you're buying coins via eBay, it's very important to check the pics in the auction--some of the very cheap replicas have fuzzy details and look as if they had been chrome plated. Not what you want to see in an "antique" coin ;)

David & I are still debating a couple of the IDs--personally, I believe the #13 to have 6, not 7 characters across the top. The "fatman" has at least 5 variations that I know of, and that's not including the diameter size. :lol

The #8 has also been called the "junk coin", and the "fatman" is also a common name for the #13. The actual male image on the coin can be seen in the episode SAFE (for about 2 frames)--the most common back image is the wreath seen on #13. The dragon on #15 is also seen, so it's a toss-up which coin in the original ENVY image could be the one seen in SAFE (if at all).
 
No worries, but thanks :)

Daid deserves a lot of credit for getting me to research these a little more than "it's close" ;)
 
No technical or research info with this image, just a quick, purdy pic of my personal coin collection--thanks to Boba Debt for the bank notes :)

AllMyCoinsBeautyShot.jpg

Thanks to Fried Mon Calamari for pic hosting. :)
 
Last edited by a moderator:
Ok, here are some names:

#8, the "junk coin" / boat coin — The guy on the front is Dr. Sun Yat Sen (founder of the Republic of China).

#13, the "fat man" — The guy on there is Yuan Shi Kai (a general).

They both appear on multiple coins, so just dropping these names should help you find something familiar.

I'm headed off to a coin show tomorrow :)

Good luck to you guys.


-Mike
 
I found a couple of the copper one with the crossed flags, but none of the big silver ones.

Actually found a guy that had a sack full of fake (pewter) Chinese coins; said he didn't have any of the Sun Yat Sen or the Yuan Shi Kai though.

You guys check your local newspapers & flea markets.


-Mike
 
David: very cool presentation of info and appreciate your willingness to share your sources and give practical advice to collectors. :) That's the spirit in which I've been posting my Blade Runner "found item" prop discoveries, and I want to praise yours and every member's deliberate decision to openly share rather than selfishly hoarde information. It makes this site more about giving, learning, and exploring, and less about blind consumption and all the nasty ego crap, scamming, false entitlement, and conflict of interest that goes along with it.

Thanks again. :thumbsup

- Gabe
 
No dice.

"I found a couple of the copper one with the crossed flags, but none of the big silver ones. Actually found a guy that had a sack full of fake (pewter) Chinese coins; said he didn't have any of the Sun Yat Sen or the Yuan Shi Kai though."

You guys remember to check your local newspapers & flea markets.


-Mike
 
I have been waiting for all of my coins to show up before I posted a picture of my "stash" and today I finally received my 6 "General" coins


[image]http://home.ec.rr.com/bobadebt/Mine.jpg[/image]
 
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