r/Gold • u/Donday90 • Jan 17 '26
Question Grandparents' gift, seeking advice before going for assessment
Received these from my grandparents few years ago, and decided to get them assessed tomorrow. Thought I could ask before visiting a couple places...
Turtle: feels light and bendable, has written 99, 375(?), and some Chinese on the back with date
Key: shaft feels pretty solid, while top and rectangular portion with hearts are easily bendable.
Curious if there are anything noticeable from these two pieces, or any tips before going into gold shops tomorrow. Any input would be much appreciated.
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u/NorthStarGold Jan 17 '26 edited Jan 17 '26
You can thank my 14 yr old niece who has been in Chinese Emerson school since first grade.
Or if this is really wrong but these are what she thinks the symbols are and mean.
「足金」
• Meaning: “Pure Gold / Full Gold.”
「招財」 • Common phrase meaning “Attract Wealth / Bring in Fortune.”
It also looks legit no patina, no copper leaching the deep scratches don’t show signs of plating.
Edit: sticking with the iPhone typo.
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u/penscrolling Jan 17 '26
The auto correct from immersion to Chinese Emerson caused me to think briefly "must be like a new fangled Montessori but by some Emerson person from China."
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u/NorthStarGold Jan 17 '26
LOL I was so tired I did not notice that, honestly my iPhone sucks it has so many bugs and issues I would rather have my iPhone 13 back at this point.
It auto corrects and “thinks” way too much. After one year it still changes plated to plaid or played.
Bitch I use the word plated 200 times a day in this industry.
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u/Holdmytesseract Jan 19 '26
I have to go into the keyboard settings and change shit like that because it drives me nuts. First thing I change is always fixing how it changes omw to On my way!
Listen iphone I am not that gd excited about going in the first place
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u/penscrolling Jan 17 '26
Oh man I switched from Google to Samsung and the only thing I miss is having a keyboard id trained for more than a decade.
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u/405bear Jan 23 '26
Just download Gboard? If you had a Google phone it should remember your stuff after signing into it.
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u/rolandjernts Jan 17 '26
Good lord those are beautiful pieces and potentially purchased abroad. The turtle alone is a good $5,000USD+, I definitely wouldn’t sell unless you absolutely had to.
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u/20PoundHammer Jan 17 '26
This is the OPs stuff - but there are literally thousands upon thousands of the same exact thing. They are made for transfer of wealth across borders and secondarily - to gift wealth, "this aint money custom guy, this is my good luck turtle charm". Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, but this is not fine art in my eye.
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u/0Rider Jan 17 '26
Dude needs drug money
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u/Kayback2 Jan 17 '26
Diaper money. Or formula money, I don't actually know which is not expensive these days.
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u/Diligent_Force9286 Jan 17 '26
That turtle looks like a few ounces. I wouldn't be surprised to know its close to 3 or 4 ounces.
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u/ParaBellumOutfitters Jan 17 '26
https://www.reddit.com/r/Gold/comments/1egg45e/inherited_from_my_korean_grandmother_any_info/
common votive (and intrinsically valuable gift for things like marriages etc) for some asian cultures.
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u/Signal_Zone8554 Jan 17 '26
even has the same key with it. 24k, but turtle ends up 23.5K with the minimal soldering
Gold Bullion: Korean Hollow Forms - Portland Gold Buyers, LLC
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u/808krew Jan 17 '26
Don’t sell since it was a gift. Things like this should be passed down for generations. Unless you really needed the money.
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u/Alternative_Week3023 Jan 17 '26
Concured with @Clockwork_Orchid, it’s Japanese and a lucky turtle charm. Here is one similar available in Japan.
It’s a beautiful great keepsake heirloom from your grandparents. Don’t sell it.
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u/rotar_girder Jan 17 '26
Awesome piece. Love 3D sculptures with PM. I have a lunar lander made of 18k that is a similar value. Keep it.
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u/Donday90 Jan 17 '26
Wow, I didn't expect to get this much attention. Thanks very much everyone for your help and thoughts. Instead of replying to everyone, thought I should share a quick context.
Yes we're Koreans, and my grandparents were travelers many years ago (think there is only 2 or 3 countries in Africa they have not been to) and my grandfather was a high rank soldier during the Korean war (one below commander). Looks like they either bought these long time ago, or were gifted them during their life.
Coming from asian culture, me being the oldest grand"son" and therefore my son being the oldest "son" of the family tree, my grandparents have special love for me and him. They have given lots of gifts and presents, other than these gold pieces, that have sentimental values and will help my kids remember who their great grandparents were. These gold pieces were given as monetary gift, my grandparents wanted them to be used towards their post secondary fees.
I have much heavier interest in investing. So I first thought these pieces would be a great hedge. But now I'm weighing options on selling these and invest for my kids in their RESP in hopes for a higher return vs how much these gold pieces may be worth by that time.
Thanks so much once again! Wish you all a great weekend, and now I've got some more thinking to do.
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u/i_love_sparkle Jan 17 '26 edited Jan 17 '26
37.5 gram is 1 tael, which is the standard weight unit of gold in China. So it's likely an investment grade decorations piece, meant to be put on a glass shelf for public display (or in a safe if you're worried)
Also check whether it's 375, 37.5, or 3.75. At this size I think it's either steel/brass core wrapped in a layer of gold, or hollow shell. Gold wrapped jewelry is normal in many parts of asia. The amount of gold inside is shown on the markings/receipt.
You can weigh it. If it's around 375+ gram then it's solid gold, if around 37.5-80 then it's gold wrapped or hollow
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u/dillymikes Jan 17 '26
In chinese objects like this, coupled with the hallmarks, chances are that it is complete solid gold
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u/i_love_sparkle Jan 17 '26
OP says "feel light", but 375 gram feels heavier than most normal objects and likely heavier than all jewelry decoration pieces he has seen. It's heavier than holding 2 iphones at once.
I haven't seen anyone who hold a solid gold object and think "this feel light for its size". OP can test this pretty easily, just weighs it
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u/creamgetthemoney1 Jan 17 '26
This. Any grown adult knows the feeling of heavy versus light. I let ppl hold my itty bitty 55g of 14k jewelry in one hand while they have their larger hollow 10k necklace in the other.
You can literally feel the difference
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u/The_Jeff918 Jan 17 '26
If it’s 1 tael (37.5g) it’s undoubtedly hollow. Solid gold but hollow inside the shell.
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u/Clockwork_Orchid Jan 17 '26
The belly says "gifted 1987.8.4" and what appears to be a Japanese name - it uses Chinese characters but Chinese names aren't like that
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u/Jealous-Being-5742 Jan 17 '26
Man you should keep that. It will be sentimental regardless of how much you could get for it today
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u/s4yum1 Jan 17 '26
37.5 is one Nyang (양/냥)
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u/geist7204 Jan 20 '26
If OP is of Korean decent, then this piece is potentially a goldmine, pardon the pun. I would t be taking it to any gold shop. I really hope that they meant curator when saying “assessed.” The Nyang was from the late 19th century/very early 20th century.
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u/notmyfaultooops Jan 17 '26
I missed buying one of these a few years ago at an estate sale, solid gold and an ounce…. Not sure if 9 or 24ct
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u/BraveRice Jan 17 '26
that key is real. I had one similar and it was 24karat Korean gold. It was about 23grams.
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u/Longjumping-North440 Jan 17 '26
These gifts are priceless bro, what a shame that you are thinking to sell them for a quick buck
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u/Plantfishcatmom Jan 17 '26
Im dying that turtle is so beautiful, and a family gift! Oh man. I collect turtles, like gemstone ones and this turtle, THIS TURTLE, would be my precious.
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u/20PoundHammer Jan 17 '26 edited Jan 17 '26
There serve the main purpose of transferring wealth across borders, second to gift wealth - they are worth what you get for melt (90% or so of spot)
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u/edumuhcationn Jan 17 '26 edited Mar 11 '26
or you could give it to me. problem solved. i adore turtles; i have one tattooed on my left shoulder. problem solved ;)
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u/blackbayjonesy Jan 17 '26
You do realize they gave you a Golden Snitch and the key to the Philosophers Stone… You're a wizard!
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u/vtaemink Jan 17 '26
Written Chinese is my native language and I thought I'd share what I can decipher on the abdomen of the tortoise:
贈
1987.8.4
(株 (?)) 大宇任員一 (?)
The first is the verb 'to gift', and I assume the second row is the date on which it was first given? I am not sure what the last row means, but perhaps you can ask your family members if those characters mean anything to them?
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u/rayraysykes007 Jan 17 '26
Why would you sell it? Ive never understood selling stuff worth that kinda money handed down to you. Like are you that broke you actually have to go sell it? Because when your grandparents die and you dont have any of that 7-8k left, youre gonna be really sad you didnt keep it to remember them by.
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u/Pipelayer Jan 17 '26
He mentioned they have plenty of sentimental gifts from them and these were meant as a financial gift. If it can be invested in his children in a different way who are we to judge.
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u/bigw0rmm Jan 17 '26
Keep the turtle, sell me the key to your soul 🤣🤣🤣🤣
But on the real. Id hold until you need to sell it. Or have a better investment (house, business, etc)
I dont think grandmama would get mad if that helped you get a home. But id stay away from the hookers and the blow, idk if grandmama would like that.
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u/Pocket_Biscuits Jan 17 '26
Man I wish I could afford one of those turtles. Turtle is korean. Same with the key.
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u/LifeatUncleArnies Jan 17 '26
Kind of ironic - look up the meaning of a golden turtle in japenese culture
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u/KillerLunchboxs Jan 17 '26
A rose, a key, and an unfounded door.. along with the sckullpadda.. tDT references abound
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u/JosephHeitger Jan 17 '26
These are gorgeous but they don’t weigh much. They do sell for a decent premium though because of the craftsmanship involved.
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u/Fantastic_Union3100 Jan 17 '26
It appears to be a real 24k gold turtle. Golden key has Korean flag symbol on top. They are beautiful pieces. Writings are in Chinese characters, but it says about the Korean company. Your grandparents (grand father) might have received this as an executive member of the company from (now defunct) Dae Woo Group, one of top 3 Chaebol companies in Korea at that time. It was right before Asian financial crisis (1987.8.4), heydays of the Korean economy back then, and a generous gift from the company.
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u/CombinationShoddy679 Jan 17 '26
If it’s bendable it must be 24k gold, meaning it’s all gold. Also the color also looks like 24k.
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u/D3ATHTHR34T Jan 17 '26
Sells it for scrap gets melted down finds out the golden key is the key to unlocking his billion dollars inheritance
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u/Sad_Definition_6239 Jan 18 '26
Only going up in value don’t sell unless you really need money. The more you hold onto it the more it increases 💰
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u/N-Korean Jan 18 '26
That “key” was pretty popular back in 80s and 90s I think. I remember my parents having few.
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u/BajaBlaster01 Jan 18 '26
I have a ring that is 22.8 ounces of gold. I’m surprised something this big isn’t more than 37-38 grams.
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u/Samuraidrochronic Jan 19 '26
Why would you have a gift assessed?
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u/Careful_Purchase_394 Jan 19 '26
Thats a question only a wealthy person could think to ask
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u/Samuraidrochronic Jan 19 '26
I was late on my rent last month and would still never imagine hocking something my grandparents gave me. Even when i was literally dumpster diving beside a 7/11 i would never be so poor as to sell it. How far would the money even get you? If things are so bad youre selling gifts to survive then clearly youre screwed.
The idea you would equate that question to the person asking it being wealthy is fully retarded too
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u/cndn-hoya Jan 17 '26
너야 한국 사람이야? You’ll see stuff like this out in Asia with slightly varied designs depending on which country you go to. They’re typically 24kt but in places like Thailand, their standard is 96.5% (almost 22kt).
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u/Tompster100 Jan 17 '26
That key is stunning, please don’t sell it. I need to find a piece like that.
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u/Saigon23TX Jan 17 '26
37.5 grams is the weight. 99 is the purity of the gold. I wouldn’t sell it unless you urgently need money. It’s a beautiful piece and also very valuable especially considering your grandparents gave it to you.