Hi all! This coin came to me from a friend because I collect coins. After some research, it appears to be a Chinese 10 cents from 1897. However, I'm not sure if it's genuine or not. Edge: Does anyone have any thoughts on this? The coin weighs 2.70g and is 19mm in diameter. Thanks!
Wow! Normally with Chinese coins, the odds are counterfeits but this looks good. Could be easily 500 dollar coin even with the scratch if proven genuine.
My problem is that so much of the real stuff from this era looks fake, even when it isn't, due to the cruder production standards and wonky letter punches and so on. I'm very, very quickly out of my depth when it comes to Chinese coins.
PCGS would be the way to go on that one, since it's potentially valuable, I guess. As you likely know, they have a branch in China, so they must have some specialized expertise on board.
My vote would be most likely no, but agree to have someone else who knows more weigh in. We do have some experts in these on this board. The crudeness of official issues is usually not like this. Details are missing here not usually missing IMHO.
I certainly wouldn't hold my breath in expectations of authenticity here, either, but really I have .... no clue at all. Way too far outside my experience.
If it has anything to do with china, I would be very suspicious, and as stated by lord marcovan, send it to PCGS. I hope for your sake it is real. Semper Fi Phil
Take the coin to a Numismatist or trusted dealer in your area. Get some positive opinions before sending it off to a TPG. Good luck
It seems to be consistent with the variables identified here - https://en.numista.com/catalogue/pieces34874.html. Any idea where your friend obtained it? If you are motivated and have the time - and it sounds like you have a good scale - here's a simple means to get a good idea of the metal content. https://en.numista.com/numisdoc/determining-the-metal-of-a-coin-27.html
That would only work if BOTH had some understanding of Ancient Chinese coins and were sufficiently educated to make a judgement either way.
Weight could prove its false. It has the "look" of pot metal fakes. Correct weight would not prove its ok, but incorrect weight could prove its false.
This is a two year type. 1897 is less common compared to 1898 This is my example It's a really nice design
What is your opinion of the OP coin sir? You were one of the experts in these I would hope would answer, since your opinion is way more informed than mine.
At the moment, I'm leaning towards genuine. I had to take out my example and check the edge. Weight is correct, edge checks out and the wear is consistent to what I expect. But again, there's always that potential of not genuine especially with Chinese coins. There was an article on PCGS (if I'm not wrong) of an altered coin by re engraving the entire province name and year (!!!) A coin that I wouldn't mind purchasing to upgrade my example. This is one of my more favorite Chinese coin.
Thanks for everyone's responses! You've all been very helpful I would like to send it to PCGS, but wouldn't know where to start. I'm also in the UK, where coin grading isn't widely available. I'll have to look into getting PCGS grading it My friend found it in a house clearance, and they are also in the UK. I believe they said they found it under a floorboard. I'll have a go with that metal composition test, and will post the results Thanks for your input! I agree the details that are missing is strange. However, the area with less detail on the obverse (12 o clock) matches up with the are with less detail on the reverse (also 12 o clock). I would guess that at some point, it was damaged in some way by being laid flat with the obverse facing down, and then hit with something in that spot on the reverse. :O Dang, that's a lot! Glad to hear you think it's genuine! I tried having a look for fakes from Kwang Hsu, but couldn't find any. Lots of fake dollars, but I couldn't see any fake 10 cents that I could use for comparison. I only collect ancients, so coins like this are completely out of my comfort zone!
Fakes of every denomination exist including this type. I do not claim to be a Chinese coin expert and have plenty of learn to be honest. The current diagnostics seem to be positive at the moment. I own four of this type - 5 cents, 2 of 10 cents and 20 cents and they all seem to be similar to what you have. Unless all of what I own are not genuine which is also a possibility.
