Ok, at the risk of being laughed out of the room, here goes. I found a book of supposedly real Chinese coins spanning about the last 100 years. They came in a cheap little book and cost nearly nothing. I've posted a few pics of some of them. I figured I only paid $16 for all of them, so even if they aren't real it's still a nice souvineer. Because I know absolutely nothing about foriegn coins, all opinions are welcome. Thanks. Guy~
I'm 99% sure they're fakes. At a store near my grandparent's home, you can buy boxes of them for about $20. I have a few, they're cheap copies. Cool souvenirs, definitely - but definitely not real Chinese coinage. Sorry!
Dear coleguy, I agree with Super Ego... They look like counterfeits. Unfortunately, during the last couple of years it has been a tendency to produce fake Chinese coins. I visited San Francisco last year and I found that many of the stores near the piers were selling coins like these for $0.25! Oh well... At least you didn't pay much for the book and it is a nice souvenir. Just be cautious the next time you are buying old, "silver" Chinese coins Regards from Minnesota Monetarium
Funny you should mention that, because San Francisco is where I bought them. Only it was in Chinatown. I've hung out in Chinatown long enough in the past to know 99% of everything there is either a fake, or a poorly made product in some way. I had no illusions of walking out with a book of authentic coins, but for the price it was neat just to have examples, even fake ones, of Chinese coins to look at. Thanks for the comments. Guy~
Most likely counterfeits , who would sell real silver at that price ? The upside it's a neat little collectable , and now you have some fakes to compare with other Chinese coins , I would of bought it too . rzage
