Expert: Dmitry Livshits - 10/15/2009

Question
QUESTION: Hello.  My son was given a coin recently and we've researched it to be a Sun Yat-sen silver dollar.  However, every picture we find on the Internet has a different symbol (second one from left) on the head side of the coin.  All other aspects of the coin are seemingly identical except this symbol.   I cannot find a photograph with the same symbol I have on this coin.  Is it the year?  I appreciate any information you can provide.

ANSWER: Hi Tara,
There are a few varieties of the Sun Yat-sen dollar. Some have a small bust facing left within a circle, the reverse will say "MEMENTO" and/or "REPUBLIC OF CHINA". These types are not dated.
The other type has a large, older (and balder) bust and a "Junk boat" on the reverse without any characters or legends. In this case, the second character from the left will be the date... either one, two or three dashes, denoting year 21 (1932), 22 (1933) or 23 (1934). The 1921 coin, with one dash, is quite rare and will also have three wild geese flying above the boat on the reverse. This coin, if genuine, starts at a couple hundred dollars and tops off at $1,000+ for a mint condition coin. The year 22 and 23 coins (2 or 3 dashes) will have no birds flying above the boat and are more common. These dates range from $10 to about $50 on the current market.
Also worth noting, there is a very rare variety with Sun Yat-sen facing forward with a rising sun, building and characters on the reverse.
Thanks for the question! =)

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: Thank you so much for your response. :)  The coin that I have does not have a dash symbol for the second from the left symbol on the bust side of the coin.  The symbol looks sort of like the mathmatical symbol for pi but with the top bar continuing around it to make a sort of square.  The bust is facing left and the Junk boat on the back has a symbol on each side of the boat.  No birds or suns are present on the back.

Answer
Hi again,
The character you describe translates as "first" and is another way of writing year 1. However, the Sun Yat-sen dollars of the type you have start at year 21. Modern counterfeits are fairly common and often use non-existent dates, legends and/or designs. A genuine coin should be right around 27 grams, while such a counterfeit will be 25 grams or less. Counterfeiters have become quite good at fooling the eye, weighing remains the only reliable method to tell them apart.
Thanks again! =)