Chinesse Fantasy Coin Value?

Depends when they were made, and yes, there is a possibility that there is some silver in some of them. I am inclined to agree with you, that they are all fakes.

However!,

I have a book:
'Illustrated Catalogue of Chinese Gold and Silver Coins'
Author Lin Gwo Ming, edited by Ma Tak Wo
publ. Taisei Stamps & Coins(HK) Ltd. 400 pages, values in HK dollars. Can't tell when it was published, more than half of the text is in Chinese.

This book is on the subject of Chinese gold and silver coins, and just about every type that has been produced up to about 1930, has been illustrated in the book.

Apparently, there were a small number of crown sized fantasy gold coins produced, and they command fabulous prices. It seems that all of the Chinese silver pattern coins have been illustrated as well, again with big values attached to them.

I have seen Chinese minted dollar sized patterns and fantasy gold coins being offered in Hong Kong and Australian auctions for typically around the $5,000.

Genuine examples of these coins are very rare. The genuine silver dollar patterns and fantasies that are also Chinese minted also command thousands of dollars at auction.

I GUESS it goes without saying that forgeries of these coins exist.

From my reading of the book, and what I remember in the auction catalogue, I believe that these 'fantasy coins' were contemporary with the genuine circulating coins, but of obviously different design, with no intention to deceive. The book does not list any coin after about 1930.

Hi folks

I recently acquired in Hong Kong a number of 30 to 40 year old bound sets of famous Chinese coins including struck silver copies of the Kann-Sweeny Peking Mint coins. They are beautifully put together sets with very high production values, gilded pages, individually certificated and numbered with complex anti-counterfeiting on the certificates and the coins test out as silver using nitric/muriatic acid.

The blurb in Chinese says they were produced as artistic mementos and for investment purposes. The Kann-Sweeny sets were printed up in a limited edition of 5000 and marketed for 1280 Yuan. There are larger sets with more coins printed in limited editions of 1000 copies.

I have not been able to obtain any history other than the sets were from a collection recently broken up but were bought many decades ago.

I would be grateful for any insights and assistance in identifying them and particularly any thoughts on what they might be worth.

I have seen one similar set listed elsewhere on this forum - an old post where the writer says he acquired the set (a yellow covered bound set of commemorative silver medallions listing Chinese emperors) which he says he bought in a market in Kuala Lumpur. I will post pictures of some of the other varieties.

Any and all assistance greatly appreciated.

Photos of a different set

I never buy these kind of coins, because there are more fakes and replica's than real ones.
Every one cn print a paper that says that coins are real, silver, rare...
And the Chinese are the best copiers in the world.
I also had some sets, with certificat that said they were real. But they were as fake as the theet of my granny.
Can you open the coin sets without damage? Propably not, so you can not test the coins for silver.
I am not really saying these are fakes, but just be very careful in buying these coins.

Thanks for the replies and advice. I wasn't getting notifications of replies because I no longer use the email address I originally registered on this forum with. That's now changed.

I have a number of these sets and including one which has been tampered with previously - I removed coins from that set and they test positive for silver using acid and a scratch stone. They have the 'ring' of silver and I suspect they are probably low grade silver alloy of some kind. A coin dealer in Toronto confirmed they were struck rather than cast but had never seen similar sets before.

I note the two being sold as individual lots in auctions in China and Taiwan.

These are not new. The folders I bought have been in a private collection dating back 40 years or more to the mid 70s. The original collector died many years ago and his heirs are selling off an eclectic assortment of vintage jade, porcelain and other Chinese art.The mint certificates have complex anti-counterfeiting measures incorporated in them.

The transparent retaining strips appear to be acetate rather than plastic - one side covers the whole coin and the other only half so they can be removed. Page edges are gilded and there is complex artwork around the page edges as well. As well, the coins are toned where they have been exposed to air on the uncovered portions.

Some of the coins are obvious 'fantasies,' silver cash for example (but that tests as silver) and a 1903 Feng-tien province one-tael silver pattern that is struck as 'Feng -Tiek Province'.

I've definitely got something - just not sure what.

They are very nice and once I nail down what they are I will be starting to try to flog them on e-bay. The most extravagant and flamboyant of the sets (including the Feng-Tiek Province' coins) had a retail price when they were sold of Y5680. Only 1000 sets of those were produced according to the certificate.

Any advice on further research sources would be greatly appreciated. I hear the cautions about modern Chinese forgeries but these have been sitting in someone's attic for decades.

Gary - I looked for a 'subscribe' button for your blog but couldn't find it. Are you interested in seeing photos of some of the jade carvings and charms?

ie - this carved jade crab:



or these bangles? (Chairman Mao back there is about 8 ounces of good silver). The price tags on the bangles are written in black fountain pen ink and from other stuff I recovered I think were likely bought early on when China Products started opening up in the 70s.




Thanks for your help.

Ian

I agree with you. However, I don't think these were intended to pass as the real thing. I think they were produced as commemoratives, like the old Lincoln Mint stuff.