Its a Chinese crown issued in Peiyang (beiyang) province in 1908. Not quite convinced if its genuine but its probably a 500+ dollar coin if it is. Would need photos of the edge and accurate weight.
Looks almost certainly a fake to me - there are hundreds of fakes of Chinese Silver dollars around and very few genuine ones.
What do you base your opinion on ("almost certainly fake")? The odds that favor your wild guess OR something specific you see in the image. Please educate us.
Based on the weakness as you get away from the center of the coin I think it could have been made from a mold, and either was made from a worn, genuine coin impression, or there was a problem in the transfer process. it could be real though. I don’t really know these things well but that’s just my thought. There are a lot of Chinese fakes, so I wouldn’t touch one unless I’m absolutely certain of it’s authenticity. That being said, I do not have one. As mentioned - edge photo may reveal a seam, or the weight may be off
I am no expert on Chinese coins, but the dull grey colour and the very weak strike resemble many fakes I have seen before. I would suspect it is not silver - if the OP could do the sliding magnet test, that would confirm this. Weight will also help.
THANKS GUYS for posting your comments. I AM NO EXPERT EITHER! However, nothing you have mentioned is anything remotely conclusive. Evan Saltis, posted: "Based on the weakness as you get away from the center of the coin [this is not a diagnostic of a fake. Many of these come this way] I think it could have been made from a mold, and either was made from a worn, genuine coin impression, or there was a problem in the transfer process." it could be real though. [That's the way I'm leaning from the image alone. The deceptive fakes CANNOT be authenticated from an image unless you have the diagnostic markers from similar fakes]. I don’t really know these things well but that’s just my thought. There are a lot of Chinese fakes, so I wouldn’t touch one unless I’m absolutely certain of it’s authenticity. That being said, I do not have one. As mentioned - edge photo may reveal a seam, or the weight may be off.." Unfortunately, fakes that look this good are made of the correct alloy and weight. They are die struck and will not have a casting seam. PaddyB, posted: "I am no expert on Chinese coins, but the dull grey colour and the very weak strike resemble many fakes I have seen before. I would suspect it is not silver - if the OP could do the sliding magnet test, that would confirm this. Weight will also help." Magnets do not work on the deceptive die struck fakes. The color looks like normal gray toning. If this is a fake, it's a good one. I agree with you both and would not buy any Chinese crown coin w/o being certified by a major TPGS.
Guys, I should expect less than 1% of the coins on this planet are in slabs. Just because a coin is not in a slab INDICATES NOTHING except cost or a preference to hold a coin rather than a cold piece of plastic. Additionally, it can be demonstrated that counterfeit coins ARE IN SLABS and I'll guarantee some of them are still undetected!
Yes i know thats what I said of course coins in slabs can be faked especially these Chinese dragons.But the fact how its not slabbed is concerning as why would someone not want to get a coin(if certainty genuine)possibly worth thousands for example certified and authentication,a red flag as a start.
potty dollar 1878, posted: "Yes i know thats what I said of course coins in slabs can be faked especially these Chinese dragons.But the fact how its not slabbed is concerning as why would someone not want to get a coin(if certainty genuine)possibly worth thousands for example certified and authentication,a red flag as a start." That may be true for a narrow minded, uninformed, Kool-Aid drinking collector but I'm not including you in that charge. That's because numismatists such as us don't need slabs.
The fact that it's not slabbed indicates that either it has not been submitted for entombing by a TPG, or that it has but has subsequently been removed from the holder. You can't deduce anything else from this one fact.
Yes, it's a dollar, but obviously fake. The color, washed out legend all suggest this. The weight would also be a deciding factor. It's probably made of some base metal
robinjojo, posted: "Yes, it's a dollar, but obviously fake. The color, washed out legend all suggest this. The weight would also be a deciding factor. It's probably made of some base metal." How long have you been collecting/selling silver coins from China? Of course you understand that your response or lack of one will reflect on the value of your opinion.
I have been a collector of world crowns since 1980 or so. I was a collector of Chinese crowns in the 80s and 90s, but have since moved to other areas of interest. I just think that the OP coin is very doubtful regarding authenticity, as others have also indicated. There are a lot of fakes out there, and the factors that I mentioned are red flags. Thanks
Then, for what it's worth, I respect your opinion but I see nothing screaming fake from the photo. I'm certainly much less knowledgeable than you. BTW, it's too bad you didn't continue to stick to Chinese coins as their prices have gone up a lot. Plus, You'll probably agree that the fakes were not very good in the 1980's.
That is so true, regarding the prices for Chinese coins today. I had a birds over junky dollar back in the 90s that I sold with a bunch of other coins to raise funds for the down payment for our house. Now, that coin, with other common to rare Chinese coins have shot into low earth orbit price-wise. I guess it is indicative of the changing economics globally, and a burgeoning middle and upper class in China, resulting in more money chasing these coins.
Areas of wear, especially on the obverse, seem to be uniform and consistent. Mass symbol on the lower reverse (about 7 o'clock) is overlapping the edge. These issues would be of concern to me. Hope I'm wrong, good luck.
