I just received about $2,000 'worth' of coins from Australia.........and the coins v the descriptions were a joke. The most concerning was an allegedly UNC 1914 Chinese Dollar which weighs 26.7g and feels smooth............has no detail on the stars, the moustache or the grain wreath.
I am sorry to say this looks very fake to me. We have had a long discussion on another thread about a similar coin - see under World Coins, "1914 Year 3 China Fatman Dollar....". How come you ended up taking USD 2000 worth of coins from overseas sight unseen? Does seem a risky venture - if it was through Ebay I would set about demanding a full refund right away.
The coins were from an auction house I had dealt with before and they offered scans of a sort but no weights..........the 1920 dollar just looks detailed and this just looks cast.
If it is a reputable auction house you should be able to return the lot. I would start conversation immediately - you may lose out on the postage but that is better than USD 2k!
I have approached my bank as I used a Barclays Business Card.................they said all I have to do is return the coins and show proof. Very disappointed.
Normally Australia is not home to counterfeits and auction houses stand by their words. Unfortunately counterfeiters will hit anywhere where they can make a cent. It's even worse with Chinese coins. General rule of thumb with Chinese coins is if you don't know what you are dealing with, don't buy it. I've made the prediction years ago where proxy sellers will spread their wares around the world. Many buyers at that time were adamant for governments to step in to stop shipment from China / Belarus / counterfeit origins etc and thought that will stop everything.
Not sure what you mean by 'not sure what you are dealing with.' Been buying Chinese coins for 8 years and usually spot the fakes......
I believe his post was simply a warning to ALL OF US...If you don't know what you are doing don't buy the coin. Now I am extremely curious, since you have been buying Chinese coins for eight years (and must know what you are doing based on your quote) and can usually spot a fake; why post blurry photos with no surface details visible and ask our opinion? You must know more about Chinese fakes than many of us. I'm not near my book but if I remember the weight of the piece seems OK.
The photo in the catalogue looked OK...........and the auction house is well known..........and I have bought from them before............however, on inspection all 4 coins, two shih kai and two gold sovereigns were not as described and as I bought them with my Business Card I intend on returning all of them. Choice UNC they were not!
