Expert: Brad Swain - 1/25/2010

Question
I recently purchased some chinese coins that are from the 1600's to 1800's. I'm trying to find out if they have any value. They depict the pictures of emperors on the front and they have dragons on the back. Can you give me any suggestions on how to research these coins? Simply put, are they actual collectors items or are they just for fun?

Answer
Hi Tam, 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 that will make the coin interesting enough to sell as a souvenir or conversation piece to someone who is unfamiliar with the genuine pieces. These pieces showing emperors, which probably have their reign dates underneath, are fantasies, not actual coins. They have no real collector value.
You might also try a library for a copy of the Standard Catalog of World Coins for pictures, values and lots more interesting info.
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. Weighing it may be the best telltale of its genuineness.
Genuine Chinese silver dollar coins of this period weigh 26.4 to 27.5 grams each.
Fakes: http://reviews.ebay.com/Fake-8-4-and-2-Reales-coins-from-ASIA-BEWARE_W0QQugidZ10...
Chinese counterfeit factory: http://coins.about.com/od/worldcoins/ig/Chinese-Counterfeiting-Ring/Chinese-Fake... .
Brad