CHINA, SONG-YUAN DYNASTY, 12TH-13TH CENTURY

The coin adhered to the base of the box is of a type with “flower-hole” centers that became popular from the Tang dynasty onwards. The lower and left characters read yuan bao, and it is possible the upper and right characters may read jing de, which would indicate the coin was cast between the years 1004-1007 during the reign of the Northern Song Emperor Zhenzong (998-1022).