When I go around at different places coin shops in Thailand I often encounter coins and tokens that I would like to buy but I do not dare because I am not sure if it is a fake or not. So I would like to ask the people here if you have some tips about spotting fakes. Especially old silver bars (old thai money), porcelein tokens (can find them everywhere here and most of the time suspiciously cheap.. ) and coins in general (and then I am thinking about more general tips) Would be nice to get a discussion about this because I really need to increase my knowledge and I suspect I am not the only one facing this problem from time to time. Mojb
It's not only in the Far East. A friend had gone to Egypt and in the markets you could buy "antiques" that were actually being produced in the back of the shops. He said that he saw wooden kegs full of medieval coins and was told that they were all modern replicas being produced for the tourists but being passed off as authentic. He bought a few and they look just like the real things at first glance. But upon closer examination, the dates were all the same regardless of what type they were. They cost him a couple of dollars each after haggling. The state price originally was the equivalent of $20.
Sawasdee Krap! My wife is Thai and I have been to Thailand many times. It is very hard to shop for coins there. You can find the old Satangs for sale there, but other than that most you find are forgeries. I would suggest going to a couple of coin stores in Bangkok, that is the most likely place to find authentic coins. Learn the coins, study them, then you will be able to spot the forgeries easiest. I actually only buy my Thai coins from US sources from old collections. I know enough now by seeing enough real coins to see how bad the fakes are in Thailand. I agree though if you haven't seen the real coins, the fakes can be deceptive. Chris
