Chinese Silver Dollars

[OneBiteAtATime]

Anybody know the Chinese Silver Dollars? Know them well enough to spot whether they're good or not?

I know there are many varieties, values vary greatly, there are also a few fakes.

What do you guys think of these? I bought a bunch of foreign from a friend and these were in there.

[TXBullion]

Bought one before and it was a fake

[Kurr]

I too have bought a few fakes, magnet is always a good first impression, especially if an acid test kit can't be utilized.

[NiBullionCu]

The first one should weigh 26.4 grams, if genuine, is KM Y-329, and catalogs at $60 in Extra Fine

The second one should weigh 26.9 grams, is KM Y-318, and catalogs at $675 in Extra Fine ($1,700 in UNC).

Nice score (If real).

I like the look of the second one as the toning looks to be good silver.

If they pass the magnet test and weigh close to nominal listed above, That second one may be worth submitting to a Grading outfit.

caveat: it's impossible to determine if genuine from just a picture.

[Thogey]

I've NEVER had an authentic Chinese silver dollar pass through my hands.

I've handle a lot of Chinese silver dollars

[OneBiteAtATime]

Both pass the magnet, both weigh 26.9g. They "ring".

Will run 'em by the coin store and see what he says. The coin on the right "Memento" has the rosette making it the more common 1927 rather than the 1912. But, that's ok, I'm just in it for the fun.

I could test them for silver, but would just hate to mess them up.

[TheJonasCollegeFund]

The first one, on the left, is called the "Fat Man". I got a nice 26.5 gram non-magnetic one and a nice 19 gram fake.

Nice score!

[Rodebaugh]

Try to find some pics of them in some PCGS plastic. Thats where I would start.

Good luck.

[JeremyM]

I bought a bunch of these several years ago without the thought they might be fake. Almost all were magnetic, the rest didn't match the weight in the catalog. I wondered at the time why I was getting such a great deal, but most people would figure these to be forgeries. I even noticed a store selling eight of these as "replicas", which is basically what I have concluded with my Chinese "not so" silver dollars.

[OneBiteAtATime]

So I sold the "fat man" months ago. But I've been holding on to the memento dollar. I'm totally convinced it's authentic. Especially when you look closely at the die cracks I have highlighted. Here's the deal. This coin has a vast disparity on prices (for example on Heritage) and I cannot exactly spot the reason for the differences. I have a PCGS membership, and could pay to have it graded, but that would cost $75. If it sells for $85 after paying for having it slabbed, I've kind of wasted it. If it winds up being worth hundreds more slabbed, then it would have been worth it. So what do you UberNumiGods say? To slab or not to slab, that is the question (and the reason if possible).

[uthminsta]

Whoa! Why $75? I had no idea it was that much now. Is there a way to slip it into a larger order that a dealer is sending in, for less than that?

[wheatie_fan]

My first rule of thumb is that all chinese silver dollars are fake.
It sounds like you think that's not the case here.

I'm certain that if it is genuine the slab will more than make up for the costs. It might turn it from a coin worth tens of dollars to hundreds of dollars.
Slabbing isn't just an opinion on grade, it is a very valuable opinion on authenticity.
My biggest concern would be that it is not genuine, and then the $75 fee will truly have been wasted.

I'd take good pics, weight, measurements, etc., and post them on a more widely visited coin collecting website. I am partial to coincommunity world coin section, but there is also cointalk, collectorsuniverse (PCGS own forum), and NGC forums.
Sometimes there are simple clues to fakes like the font or the symbols aren't correct, but some clues are more subtle. At the bigger sites there are often more experienced collectors that can point those things out.

Then depending on how you feel about that free screening process you may decide to submit it.

Good luck,
-wheatiefan