May Blooms and a Memory of my Dragon Collector

May 22nd 2026 marked a year ago that Danny had passed away. The sense of sadness still lingers my heart every time I go through the pieces he sent me as gifts that he knew deeply interested me.

“Black birds tend to like shiny things.” ~ The Bloody Raven.

I had began a journey researching into my family's Asian side. Sharing with Danny of the silver Republic of China coins brought over by my ancestors, piecing together the stories that I could barely remember tying them with some of the anecdotal claims by relatives and the historical context of the Chinese community in Western Canada.

One story is of three brothers, related to my mother's side, who smuggled their way into Hong Kong hiding in the bottom of a Junk hauling a shipment of Soy Sauce before finding more legitimate and comfortable passage over to North America. One brother remembers that tense evening, they could hear the Hong Kong coast guard over the bull horn demanding the Captain declare his cargo manifest, how the captain answered may result with officers boarding to inspect the paperwork or warranting a cargo search.

I'm still sorting some of those details of this particular story.

Planted last year in memory of Danny, I am happy that this perennial Columbine survived it's first winter. The second Columbine perished over the winter but I attribute that to the poor soil condition since they are sensitive to poor soil conditions. I've since remediated that issue and replaced the lost plant.

Danny was more a collector than a Stacker, his theme is undoubtedly the Asian Dragon that dominated his New York State ranch house residence. Coins, authentic Chinese vases, statues even the golden flag of the Qing Dynasty. He recalled the long tours of duty as a Naval Medical officer that took him through numerous ports of call around south east Asia that included Tokyo, Hong Kong, Singapore, etc.

The 'almost' One Tael 37g Wedding gift silver bar

Top Front seals;福 “Fortune” / “Good luck”, 囍“Double happiness” Center Symbols; 招財進寶“Attract wealth and bring in treasure”,足銀“Fine silver” / “Pure silver” Bottom symbols; Representing the Merchant and mint.35.7mm x 30.9mm x 4.8mm

Exotic Chinese silver, this subject was our common interest. Danny knew I loved to discover mysteries behind Chinese silver and sent me an odd piece to research to my heart's content regardless if it had relevance to my ancestors there in a transitional era following the last days of the Qing Dynasty. One piece I wish to share from Danny is an old, but not genuine dynasty old, little 37g silver bar.

My big bright Rhododendron is breaking out in blooms much healthier than last year. A helping of fertilizer partly fixed that but this old shrub should have been planted away from the house for better sun exposure.

As a quick review, the 兩 Traditional Tael weight standard is different depending on the region; A Mainland China Tael is 37.3g while a Taiwan Tael weight is 37.5g and Hong Kong and Singapore is 37.79g. This 'Qing Dynasty' inspired bar has the typical characteristics of poured silver art bars. It's toning appears natural based on my long familiarity and knowledge base with poured silver and the mass feels about right in my hand. An old ingot that felt smooth from decades of handling and ownership by unnamed couples. No pedigree, no mintage numbers, just a private handcrafted piece of tradition secretly locked away inside it. The top edge appears to be damaged by someone filing or cutting into this ingot as if to physically verify it's authenticity. Too bad regarding the damage however it does add to the character and story of this ingot.

Back side, nothing here but a missed opportunity? Perhaps regret🥀

Adding my own story to this ingot

Ben of H.K.Colonial Coins in Hong Kong verifies this as an traditional silver gift given to the new couple. He dates this ingot/bar originating from the 1960s and 1970s. The seals on the top of this bar especially 囍 “Double happiness” Is often seen at many wedding banquets and seeing one of these pieces in my hand gave me pause to think of the ramifications. "Danny was serious about his affections for me." This was like a veiled proposition. I've been so independent for so long, the thought of coming into this fork in my life's path left me dumbfounded. "I'm not ready, not now." Was it cold feet? Was it the pain and hurts of relations past?

My 25+year old late blooming Queen Anne located just left of my front door rose seems ordinarily plain compared to the explosion of the varieties now available in the market. Yet somehow this old rose keeps saying, “You’re home.” I plan to plant a cutting at a more sunny location on my property.

I told him that I was delighted with this gift, thanked him again and filed it away for research at a later date. I can almost feel his disappointment of my non-response. I often thought back at that moment. Wondering if I could have chosen the new path putting my responsibilities on hold. If I were only free of those responsibilities then. This feels ironic now that I am retired, that door had closed.

"My dear Danny, should we ever meet again in the future I owe you that dance."❤️

Thank you my friends for coming aboard my blog today.

Stacking Precious metals and Crypto for those dark stormy days!

The #piratesunday tag is the scurvy scheme of Captain @stokjockey for #silvergoldstackers pirates to proudly showcase their shiny booty and plunder for all to see. Landlubbers arrrh… welcomed to participate and be a Pirate at heart so open yer treasure chests an’ show us what booty yea got!

Photos are my own shot with an ancient 2018 Samsung SM-A530W or otherwise indicated.
P. Image under Pixabay
W. Wiki Commons
☠️🎃 Page Dividers by thekittygirl. ❄️🌞
Cameo Raven Brooch from The Black Wardrobe.
The background for these photographs is a chart by Rigobert Bonne, a French Cartographer in 1780, Published in “Atlas de Torurtes les Parties Connues du Globe Terrestre, Dresse pour l’Histoire Philosphique & Politique des Establishments & du Commerce des Europeens dan les Deux Indes” by G.T. Raynad. Size 9 ½ x 16 5/8 inches.

"I’m just a gal in black, not a bloody Financial Advisor!"
Physical precious metals bullion stacking is only a part of my personal overall financial strategy. Meanwhile, collecting numismatics are a different set of objectives and strategy. Unless you are a complete nutcase as I am please, do your research before deciding to buy into any bullion or numismatic products.