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Coin and Paper Money Collecting/modern vs. era counterfiet Chinese silver dragon dollars

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Expert: - 11/2/2010


Question

Chines dragon dollar H
I have a Chinese silver dragon dollar (Hu Nan - see image) that appears to be fake (details missing from dragon's face, weight is less, and it sticks to a magnet#. I was reading on a website about counterfeit vs. imitation dragon dollars - a counterfeit being one that was issued during the era the real coin was minted, usually done by a warlord trying to get rich and fool the citizens during that particular era; and an imitation coin being a modern forgery designed to fool a collector. According to the website, a modern forgery is closer to #if not identical to# the original coin in weight and composition, but a counterfeit form that era is not. MY QUESTION IS THIS: Is a counterfeit coin from the era #as in a silver dragon dollar coin made in the late 19th century) more valuable than a modern forgery, and what is the value of a forgery from the era vs. a modern forgery?

Answer
Hi Alyssa,
May I ask where you got this information? It is actually not correct, because both old and new counterfeits have a wide range of materials and weights. If anything, the modern stuff coming out of Asia is the furthest away from the real thing - like you said, it sticks to a magnet, is lightweight and is missing details. This is a typical example of a crude modern counterfeit. If anything, the ones made before 1930 were much better in quality and more convincing.
A pre-1930 counterfeit would have collectible value, depending on what type of counterfeit it is. Modern counterfeits have no value other than as a novelty piece, and cannot legally be sold in the US unless they are clearly stamped "cop" or "replica".
There are many types of old counterfeits. Usually they are separated by composition, construction, quality, maker, and/or location. Also depends on what type of coin they are copying. A common one in good shape may only be $20-$30, but a rare counterfeit, such as a "Sheffield plate" type can be worth several thousand. It's not uncommon to find that an antique counterfeit is worth more than the genuine version of the same coin.
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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