Return from the documents to the Wan Chai Xuantong Yuanbao
Begin with complete views, raking-light photographs and located damage details. Keep features visible on the coin separate from packaging, documents and oral accounts; where two sources disagree, retain both versions instead of using one to fill the other.
Under one item number, record the dragon, beaded border, denticles and English wording. Hold the obverse, reverse and edge to a consistent orientation so another person can repeat the inspection.
Record the complete edge, weight, diameter, measuring tool and original unit. Date any later condition change, and stop an inspection or measurement that cannot be repeated without risk.
Prepare complete views and measurements first
Photograph both faces in full before adding details of the dragon, beaded border, denticles, English wording and denomination. Keep the close-ups, complete circumference and measurements connected to the same numbered coin.
If several dragon dollars are present, group them first by provincial mint, date inscription and Kuping denomination. Give each coin its own number so its inscription side, dragon side, edge, weight and diameter cannot be confused with those of another example.
Match the original full views, details and measurements before adding a new conclusion. Note conspicuous damage and any area hidden by packaging, while preserving every original reading and unit.
Compare only evidence gathered on the same basis
A useful comparison requires the same variety, specification, quantity, condition, evidence date and handover basis. Do not reduce unlike coins to one batch total.
Retain chop-mark evidence, any old sleeve and ownership history as supporting context. They cannot replace inspection of the inscriptions, dragon, beaded border, metal surface and edge; list any feature that remains obscured.
Give market comparisons a date and scope
For every comparison, state the date, source, region, variety and condition. A result missing one of those points is background only and should not be placed beside another date or variety as if the two were equivalent.
Dragon dollars sold under the same broad name may come from different mints, dates, denominations or dragon types. Sort them by their visible inscriptions before considering finer variety details.
Preserve the coin before handover
Confirm the measuring method, fineness or variety basis, non-coin attachments, proposed inspection, named deductions, documents and payment arrangements. Leave any unwritten condition unresolved.
Photograph the circumference in connected sections. Keep seams, altered areas, holes, solder and traces of former jewellery use untouched, and identify the edge section that still cannot be assessed.
A holder label offers a proposed attribution and grade; it does not replace examination of the enclosed coin. Check whether the enclosed mint, date, denomination, dragon and visible surfaces agree with the label, and retain the original measurements with their units.
Bring every claim back to this Xuantong Yuanbao
Keep complete, raking-light and damage views together, and record the provincial mint or mint name, date, Kuping denomination and inscriptions in a distinct attribution check. Both sets must stay connected to the item number; an area hidden by packaging remains pending.
Retrieve the original edge sequence, weight, diameter, tool and unit alongside the mintmark, chop mark, hole or altered-edge location. Date new evidence instead of overwriting the earlier reading, then check the measurement set for omissions.
Preserve earlier versions when a photograph is reoriented, a measurement point changes or an identification is revised. State the review date and reason for the difference.
Confirm that every detail photograph can be located on a complete face or on the edge sequence. Exclude an untraceable close-up from the conclusion until the correct coin is established.
Before making an enquiry, check that the item number, photographs and measurement evidence all belong to this Wan Chai Xuantong Yuanbao. Reserve anything still uncertain for direct examination.
