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Coin and Paper Money Collecting/Kiang Nan Province Dragon Coin?

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Expert: - 1/28/2010


Question

Silver dragon coin
Hello Mr. Livshits,

While cleaning out my grandparents' house, I came across this coin. my grandfather said he bought it in a coin shop in the early 1990s and I can't seem to identify it online. The back of the coin looks similar to one of the silver coins produced in another province, with the writing in the very center. However, I can't seem to find a picture of another coin from the Kiang-Nan province with this same reverse side. Is it a fake? I have attached pictures.

Thank you!
Kaitlyn

Answer
Hi Kaitlyn,
The lack of an exact reverse design on other coins you've seen does not necessarily mean it's fake. Chinese coins from this period often have slight variations.
Unfortunately, I can tell by looking at the surface that this is indeed a counterfeit, likely made in the last 30 years and in either China or South-East Asia. The surface looks like it's a cast coin, made from pouring metal into a mold, rather than a piece of polished metal that was stamped with an impression of the coin. This is the process by which nearly all modern counterfeits are made.
If you weigh the coin it will likely be below 25 grams, but may be as low as 21 grams.
Counterfeiters use various metal alloys to replicate the look of silver, which then causes fluctuations in the weight. Either way, a cast coin like this will always be at least a couple of grams below the 26-27 grams it should be.
If the coin is indeed the correct weight, you may have an old "bullion" counterfeit made of actual silver. In this case, it would be worth $50 to $75. Antique counterfeits are becomming a popular area for collectors.
Thanks for the question! =)

Dmitry Livshits

Expertise

My specialty is world coins from the 18th to 20th centuries, primarily non-US foreign coins and related areas such as errors and exonumia (tokens, medals, etc.). I can answer questions relating to identification, grading, selling, preservation and evaluation of such items. In addition to catalog value, I can give you the practical market value and trends for specific types of coins. I will also take questions regarding counterfeits (both modern and antique) and on how to identify them. I am NOT knowledgeable in paper money/banknotes, ancient or "shipwreck" coins. Thank you.

Experience

Collector of world coins since early childhood. Access to a variety of auction records and reference material. You can also find me on Facebook.

Education/Credentials
A.S. in Psychology (2006), B.A. in Forensic Psychology (2008), M.A. in Forensic Psychology (2011).

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