Featured Dating a piece of Chinese lacquerware?

Hello! I just stumbled upon this forum and I love the community you guys have built here! I don't own very many antiques but I do love them, I've been clicking quite a few threads here in the past week.

I thought I'd start by asking about my latest thrift store find, a small Chinese lacquer box about 5" across. I was wondering if anyone might be able to read the Japanese (?) label or just tell me anything more about it based on your own knowledge? It's got a customs wax seal that I believe indicates it's older than 1945 at least and the "era" section of the label seems to say "60" something... but I can't figure out how that "60" translates into a date! The box is also signed on the bottom and something is written on both sides on the inside. Also, I'd be curious to know if anything in particular would be stored in a box like this?

Thanks so much for looking and for any info!

 

the wax seal means it can be exported from China....as it's not a cultural relic.
I think the 40... yuan...was the retail price.
i'm not sure any of the numbers indicate when it was made...

 

Welcome topazera. Love your box.
As far as I know, the Chinese export seal was introduced in 1949 and is still used to this day. As komo said, it means that the item is not of cultural or historic value to China. That can be because there are many of them, or that the item is not antique.

 

年 is year, not sure on the rest. It looks early 20th century to me. The symbol on the top is Shou (longevity).

 

g-d bless these guys,,,,,
u can't tell if they are writing something....or scratching something out!!!!!

 

Ikr - the characters are hard enough without the doctors quality writing - and of course until the post war period many were illiterate, so reproducing from wrote, like a signature! I've been taking a keen interest for about 5 years now and am still on the basics and making lots of errors.

 

Yes, the lacquer seal meant it could be exported, if you had the original receipt with you. Lacquer wooden box from the 60s, priced at 40 yuan rmb.
Just a fait divers: after almost 40 years in China, when I left, I had a LOT of pieces bloqued from exiting the country. Yes, I had the lacquer seals and receipts, all of them. Their excuse? "We changed the law; the seal and receipt are now only valid for 6 months. After 6 months, you can no longer exit the country with it."
How's that for communist flip floping and don't giving a darn rats tail about contracts!?
What about things brought from outside China AND declared, AND sealed in a box by the customs? Same thing! It's been too long! You can no longer take it with you! (Yep, I had six boxes that stayed behind because...)
Another fait (even worse!) divers: if you bring anything into China that is an antique, and do not declare it, they will confiscate it when you exit. I was a diplomat there. I had two dictionaries shiped to me from abroad, dating back to 1829 one and the other, 1831, compiled by a Jesuit priest. As a diplomat, I could have anything shipped to me without any customs' supervision. As of the last time I saw them for sale anywhere, they were valued at $8k each volume. They took them. Took us over a year to get them back inside China, but they reassured us that if we tried to exit with them, they would confiscate them and NOT return them, this time. I did manage to get them out. (But that's another story...)
Similarly, a German friend of mine brought with her to Beijing a family heirloom, a Bible dating back to the late 1600s, if memory does not fail me. They confiscated it when she left.
Yep... Welcome to the world of communism totalitarian ruling.
Off my soap box.
Just don't forget, if you go to China and buy anything, if it is "antique" make sure you can bring it out, and keep the receipt!

 

Excellent information. While in China, I tried to buy some antique Chinese silk embroidery, but was stymied from even being allowed to try and find some. The tour guides must have realized that it would be confiscated.

 

This is why some believe that 95% + of the Chinese "antiques", used loosely, that you find online are repos. That's why genuine Chinese antiques bring such high prices at auctions. The Chinese are trying to return their National Treasures to China. I lived in Germany in the 1970s and was told the favorite place for German antique dealers to search was Florida. It makes sense. Many German treasures were swapped to occupying forces for food or cigarettes after WWII.

 

And so do the repro's.... They come in on a boat, go to auction, get bought by indiscriminate Chinese collectors and make their way back. Happens all the time at UK auctions.