Expert: Dmitry Livshits - 9/1/2011

Question
QUESTION: can you indentify this coin app.27.5mmxapp2.0mm thickness,front contain a picture of a man in uiform (military)tall hat with one star sholder bars with three stars,looks like a north korean face with heavy mustashed,no letters or numbers.reversed side has flower wreath from bottom to almost to top.5 eastern letters in center,3 down, one on each side of center,all different symbols. I've look for a couple of days to no avail.can you help? and tell me the metal content thanks ,jeff

ANSWER: Hi Jeff,
This sounds like a Chinese coin. I would need to see a clear picture of the portrait side to identify it with any confidence and also to determine authenticity. You can attach a picture to an image on this site.
There are tons of counterfeits for Chinese coins with designs like the one you describe. Personally, I see at least 10 fakes for every 1 genuine example.
Thanks for the question! =)

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

QUESTION: here is more info on this coin i asked about,and a front& back picture,I also tested coin ,900 silver ,I'm a gold smith,10,2 grams wt. ,27.4mm x2.25mm thickness.thanks for your last responce,jeff

Answer
Hi again Jeff,
I am very surprised that this tested as silver. Did you make a cut or test the surface?
These types of items are virtually never made of solid silver, but can have a layer of silver plating. What I can say with certainty is that it is not any sort of coin. The design is a fantasy design, which is similar to actual coins, but none were ever made with this exact design. This is something often seen with modern "replicas" - since laws prohibit them from making counterfeit coins, some have opted to make fantasy designs that are not technically counterfeit because they are not copying any actual coin.
Also, it's too light in weight. The size is that of a half dollar, but the weight of a half dollar will be between 13 and 14 grams. This also leads me to believe the piece is not solid silver, because the size and thickness are the same as a normal Chinese half dollar. This means that the material is less dense than silver.
Sorry to be the bearer of bad news.
Thanks for the question! =)