Platinum is slightly denser than gold. And it used to be cheaper than gold. Circa 1850 to 1860 platinum was about $6/oz and gold was about $16/oz. That created a huge incentive for unscrupulous people to hollow out a gold coin and replace the gold with cheaper platinum. That made it very difficult to detect a gold coin that had been "debased" with platinum because the weight was within tolerance.
Wow.... Learned something here. Never would have dreamed of substituting plat for gold. Recently, I saw some old Russian rubbles from around 1835 that were plat. Wonder if that was going on? Very Interesting Thread. Thanks. Traci
Wonder what the Chinese counterfeiter are doing to avoid loosing that "silver ring"? Was in a "reputable" coin shop and customer showed me a "counterfeit". But the sound seems right...I told him. After I said that the dealer [seeming to have changed his mind about it], suggested the customer submit it for varification! Something strange going on about all these "counterfeit coins." I really think part of it is trying to keep people out of the market!!!
Some of the ppl and companies of China have been selling the US grief for years. I'm not only talking about coins, they have sold the US, bad drugs, bad toothpaste and bad food ingredients for way too long. To put it simply, that country is not to be trusted for anything, especially when it comes to counterfeits. The heparin scare last year killed at least 130 ppl that I heard about. Oh, I could be wrong about the amount of lives, don't take my word for it read the link. Do yourself a favor when it comes to buying coins, if they come from China stay far away from them. :secret: http://www.nytimes.com/2008/03/30/weekinreview/30bogdanich.html
Is there a good place to start to learn how to determine "real" Chinese coins from the counterfeits? What are some good criteria to determine if its worth taking home? Did the Republican era coins used heavy presses or some other form of manufactoring? I'm far from willing to put up any money, BUT I'm seeing what I think are acceptable coins for very little... perhaps even a replica might be ok if it's made with SILVER. Atleast I can get my investment... any suggestions?
For us who are trying to avoid the counterfeits, what's the best way to do that? I'm noticing the unclear lines around characters--but then the 1954 NT$.50 seem to all have bad lines around the characters and surface is poor. Had a chance to view about 30 at one time and was given one from a friend (from his grandfather's collection). The friend is now in his early 60s. I'm using his set as a sorta "standard." Any suggestions on weeding out the counterfeits when assessing a coin?
