Expert: Brad Swain - 12/14/2009

Question
I have a silver coin with KIRIN-PROVINCE on the top and ONE TAEL on the bottom with a dragon in the center.  The other side is all in Chinese with the Ying Yang symbol in the center.  It does have some weight to it, but not sure how much.  Is this coin worth anything or a fake?

Answer
Hi Kathy, this is a fantasy piece. Counterfeits and fantasy pieces mass produced in East Asia, the Middle East and Eastern Europe abound of Chinese and U.S. coins, and many other countries'.
A 'fantasy' piece is when someone creates or hijacks an official design and changes it to suit whatever purpose they imagine will make the coin interesting enough to sell to someone who is unfamiliar with the genuine pieces. No 1 Tael coins were minted for Kirin province.
You might also try a library for a copy of the Standard Catalog of World Coins for pictures, values and lots more interesting info. Dollar coins (7 mace, 2 candareens) had a similar design though.
Most older counterfeits weigh up light, are grayish, may have a weakly struck look to appear worn, look cleaned or antiqued and may have a dull or grainy surface or have typographical errors. Newer ones show that the counterfeiters are refining their skills and obtaining planchets of the right weight to produce passable counterfeits.
Genuine Chinese silver dollar coins of this period weigh 26.1 to 27.5 grams each.
Chinese counterfeit factory: http://coins.about.com/od/worldcoins/ig/Chinese-Counterfeiting-Ring/Chinese-Fake... .
Brad