Chinese Tael? - Coin Community Forum

To participate in the forum you must log in or register.

Author	Replies: 7 / Views: 1,443
piratelou New Member United States 36 Posts	Posted 11/08/2014 10:35 am I'm not sure if the coin I have is the same as this one I found similar to it: http://www.coinarchives.com/w/lotvi...fd15daff41eb I don't have my scale available but it measures 34mm in diameter. Thank you Report this Post to the Staff

manymore Valued Member United States 347 Posts	Posted 11/08/2014 12:16 pm These coins are known as one tael "silver cake" coins and dated the 6th year (1856) of the reign of the Xianfeng Emperor. The coin at the CoinArchives.com site was engraved by Feng Nian at the Jing Zheng Ji Company in Shanghai. Your coin was engraved by Wan Quan at the Wang Yong Sheng Company in Shanghai. If you look carefully at the specimen at the CoinArchives.com site, you will see that the coin is beautifully engraved with exquisite calligraphy. The engraver was clearly an artist at his work. If you compare the calligraphy to your coin, it is obvious that the calligraphy is coarse and unrefined. While there exist authentic silver cake coins engraved by Wan Quan of the Wang Yong Sheng Company, your coin is clearly a fake. Gary Report this Post to the Staff
piratelou New Member United States 36 Posts	Posted 11/08/2014 4:22 pm Gary, Thank you for letting me know. I just tested it with the magnet and it didn't stick at all. Used a 65lb strength. I'll test it for silver at some point, for now it's going in the "fake" bucket. Is it possible that fraudulent coins are still made of silver? Is it worth acid testing it? Report this Post to the Staff
manymore Valued Member United States 347 Posts	Posted 11/08/2014 5:02 pm Quote: Is it possible that fraudulent coins are still made of silver? Your coin has a diameter of 34 mm. This is the correct diameter for a "5 qian" coin engraved by Wan Quan. A "one tael" coin engraved by Wan Quan will have a diameter of 40 mm. Therefore, your coin could not possibly be authentic. Also, an authentic "one tael" coin by Wan Quan should weigh 37-38 grams and would have a fineness of 98% silver. Reproductions like yours sell for a dollar or two in China. There is no possibility that your coin would be made of silver. Gary Report this Post to the Staff
Petrus Pillar of the Community Belgium 2895 Posts	Posted 11/08/2014 5:38 pm Fakes are very easy to come by. I would also rather have a real one! Report this Post to the Staff
piratelou New Member United States 36 Posts	Posted 11/08/2014 7:20 pm I've heard some fakes are still made of silver? Report this Post to the Staff
gxseries Pillar of the Community Australia 3831 Posts	Posted 11/13/2014 10:56 am Why should they be made of silver if counterfeiters can get away using cheap base metal including lead and other heavy metals? Of course you may hear stories such as - struck in German silver, Miao silver etc but they do not contain any silver or trace amount at best. My partial coin collection http://www.omnicoin.com/collection/gxseries My numismatics articles and collection: http://www.gxseries.com/numis/numis_index.htm Regularly updated at least once a month. Report this Post to the Staff
Sap Moderator Australia 16817 Posts	Posted 11/13/2014 7:33 pm Quote: I've heard some fakes are still made of silver? Some are, yes, but you're not likely to find those in the street markets of Shanghai, Hong Kong or San Francisco. Only their highest-quality fakes are made of silver, and these are usually on-sold directly to dealers and experts who could easily spot a base-metal fake. Don't say "infinitely" when you mean "very"; otherwise, you'll have no word left when you want to talk about something really infinite. - C. S. Lewis Report this Post to the Staff
	Replies: 7 / Views: 1,443

To participate in the forum you must log in or register.

All Forums Category: General Numismatic Forums Forum: Identification: Unidentified Coins, Medals, and Tokens

Silver Gold Bull US is the United States leading bullion dealer. We deliver gold coins, gold bars, silver coins, silver bars and precious metals to your door. Order today!

The First Dollar, your premier source for bullion and rare coins. See our bullion list on the site and the coin inventory on ebay.

View Last 100 New Topics

View Last 100 Active Topics

Disclaimer: While a tremendous amount of effort goes into ensuring the accuracy of the information contained in this site, Coin Community assumes no liability for errors. Copyright 2005 - 2026 Coin Community Family- all rights reserved worldwide. Use of any images or content on this website without prior written permission of Coin Community or the original lender is strictly prohibited.
Contact Us | Advertise Here | Privacy Policy / Terms of Use

Coin Community Forum

It took 0.27 seconds to rattle this change.