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 Replies: 11 / Views: 2,713 |
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New Member
Canada
4 Posts |
A friend of mine is wanting to sell some old silver coins. However, one of these coins is Asian (Chinese?) and I haven't been able to identify it. Any thoughts on dates or origins? Thanks!   |
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Moderator
 United States
188660 Posts |
 to the Community! |
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Pillar of the Community
United States
1915 Posts |
Looks like an upside down poorly made imitation of a Szechuan dollar from about 1912
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Moderator
United States
34413 Posts |
@contour, can you please confirm whether or not this piece is attracted to a magnet? Thx.
"If you climb a good tree, you get a push."
-----Ghanaian proverb
"The danger we all now face is distinguishing between what is authentic and what is performed."
-----King Adz
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New Member
 Canada
4 Posts |
Very weakly magnetic - typical of a mix of mostly silver and a bit of nickel
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Moderator
United States
34413 Posts |
Ok good to know. What is the weight?
"If you climb a good tree, you get a push."
-----Ghanaian proverb
"The danger we all now face is distinguishing between what is authentic and what is performed."
-----King Adz
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Pillar of the Community
United States
1915 Posts |
Here are six more, all better looking, one has a small attraction and five do not. None are genuine. A popular item among the fake makers. A test for specific gravity would be more meaningful that weight or a magnet. These could "pass" on weight, but none are silver.  |
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New Member
Canada
4 Posts |
My friend said he received this coin with many others when he was a kid. He is 70 now. I'm wondering when fakes started on the scene for this coin? Weight is 21.5 to 21.6 grams.  This is great information - thanks! Not sure how to check the specific gravity. |
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Pillar of the Community
United States
1915 Posts |
You don't need SG in this case. It will prove to be not silver.
The genuine is 25.6 grams, 39.5mm diameter and 2.5mm thickness.
Weights of mine 18.46, 21.01, 22.7, 22.63, 23.66 all below weight.
SG averages 8.5 and I suggest your will be similar.
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New Member
Canada
4 Posts |
Excellent information - thanks for your help!
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Moderator
Australia
16830 Posts |
The fake-makers generally don't put "a bit of silver" in their fakes. They will either be fully silver and of the correct weight (in order to fool collectors), or they will contain no silver at all (to fool average Joe Tourist). The vast majority are in that second category.
These fakes have been around for nearly as long as the coins themselves. Hong Kong was a typical source of such fakes back in the 1960s and 70s, and we sometimes see low-quality fakes coming out of Malaysia, but the main source today is mainland China, where making and selling such fakes of pre-Communist coins is perfectly legal.
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
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Pillar of the Community
United States
1915 Posts |
Here's what one of my friends told me based on my memory so it may be somewhat true:
It's not legal to take antiquities out of China, and this may include genuine old coins.
However, customs officials ( when seeing these fakes ), let them pass because they know they are not the real deal.
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Replies: 11 / Views: 2,713 |
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Posted 01/30/2021 03:30 am
