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Needed help with the markings on the gold bar

As shown, the stack of three characters on the right reads 'Guangxu Reign' (Guangxu nian - 光緒年). To read the other two characters the ingot would have to be flipped 180 degrees so the characters also would be on the right. But after doing that, I still can't quite make sense of the top character, but often it turns out to be 'Zu', which teams up with 'Chi' as '足赤' (zu chi), which says 'Pure Gold' but usually means 'gilt'. Single examples of such ingots usually are sold inexpensively as 'Fengshui' or good luck pieces, although you can get them in sets or disguised as incense for burning.

I'm sure you knew all this, but I'm including it here for the uninitiated. ;)

Best regards,

Bill H.

Dear Bill H., it is indeed 足 but the feet are cut off and the left side of the 口 element got marred somehow. Thanks for the info!

Thanks Rat, I'll sleep well tonight knowing you're always wide awake for the tough stuff.

Cheers,

Bill

haha, well there's nothing wrong with a good night's sleep!

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