Fake Chinese Banknotes

An example of a forgery of a genuine note: Bank of China 10 Yuan of 1934.

Appears convincing at a glance but closer inspection reveals the 'flat' dot matrix printing, the dull, flat serial numbers which on genuine notes should nearly always be overprinted, and in this case, the lack of watermark. This is not however usually detectable in an online photo ( ebay) etc. Two things to look out for are a dull sheen to the printing of the note which can come across in photos, and quirks - such as the silk threads which abruptly stop far short of the edge of the note (in this case the upper edge). Photos: The note plus enlargements showing the dot matrix printing, and the cut off 'silk threads'.

Last for now: some examples of things to look out for (all from common fantasies and fakes, usually from online auctions).

Some notes (American Banknote Company printed in particular) contain small planchettes or circles of coloured paper within the body of the note as a security feature. If they appear printed, or at least very strongly within the design, and in dark colours - the note is a fake (see image below).


If there is any unusual colour distortions or bleeding the note is either a fake, or in some cases the distortion is the result of a harsh, incompetant cleaning process. Photo of a bled and distorted fake:


A third tell sign is the serial number - even if the number has been overprinted as it (usually) should be, this is no guarantee as most fantasies and forgeries make the effort to at least go this far. One way of telling is the font. At present most fakes carry serial numbers in this style:


Lastly - a fantasy note which demonstrates why research of elements within notes, helps. The overall look of the note is wrong, it is clearly too modern though it pretends to be a vintage provincial issue. It serves as a good example because of the vignette - the picture of the pagoda on the front. This is the famous Yellow Crane tower in Wuhan. This was commonly featured on the notes of the Hupeh Provincial Bank - however - the pagoda depicted on these original notes had actually burnt down in the 19th century, and its meagre replacement was destroyed in the Cultural Revolution. In the 1980-90s, the Chinese rebuilt the pagoda based upon the burnt 'original' however, they built it taller and in a different location. This fake note shows the new, current pagoda, not the original!

Excellent post. Do you have one of the 5,000,000 cgu notes also?

Thanks for posting this important information for us Xavierz27! It's a shame that we have to be so vigilant, but your information helps to better understand the notes as well.

Some examples of fake Peoples Bank of China notes, a commercial note and a 'fantasy' provincial note:

Sold as a Peoples Bank of China 1949 5 Yuan. Has fake staining. The most obvious clue as to its false nature (other than the seller listings including many obvious fantasies as genuine notes), is the faked wear to the surface. Look carefully and you'll see traces of horizontal and vertical scratches which are a misguided attempt to make the note appear circulated.


Pei Yang Tientsin Bank - flawed faked ageing and an overall appearance of not being quite right - the colours are too weak for what should be a quality printed note, and this comes across even via a photograph. This note is a popular subject for fakers and frauds!


Another example of a supposedly early Peoples Bank of China note. Looks more convincing as has not been overstained and appears to be off-centre. However it has the tell-tale faked scratch marks. (And is from the same dealer as first example)


Sold as a "1927 China Hubei Provincial Farmers Bank 2 Yuan". A nonsense note which borrows the main part of the back vignette from a 5 Yuan of the Central Bank of China of 1941 (P 235), showing hilltop pagoda and temple nr Chungking (Chongqing).

I bet one or more of that fake CGU will appear again eventually.

The note that I started this thread with I first noticed five years ago. There seemed to be a lot and then nothing for ages - I thought someone had seen sense and abandoned producing it, but it seems to have recently made a comeback. There seems to be a growing interest in Chinese notes - noticeably amongst the Chinese themselves, and new collectors are easy prey!

Thanks thai-vic - glad to be of some help.

The problem of fake notes has been bothering me for sometime so I decided I had to try and do something. About to add some more images and observations.