China One Tael Fengtien Province 1 1

[Vince34]

Hello everyone,

I recently purchased a Chinese Tael from Fengtien Province which is made of brass

I know that it may be probably counterfeit as the unique fengtien silver tael dated 1903, ref LM-486 K-931i , was recently graded by PCGS.

But assuming that 99.9 ℅ of counterfeits fengtien taels are made of silver or silver-like metal, I wonder why such a tael copper coin exist ?

Also this tael looks quite old, Could there be a slight chance that this could be a rare copper tael pattern or am I just building castles in the sky ?

The reason I'm asking you advise on this chat board is to decide wether or not it is worth sending this coin to NCS for restauration as I have a limited budget.

Thank you in advance for all the help and information you can give,

Vincent

[Just Bob]

There are replicas known that are listed on Numista.

Here is a link to one:  https://en.numista.com/catalogue/exonumia55222.html

[Vince34]

Thank you so much for your feedback

The link you provided is interesting but the feng tien replica there weight 26.7 g, as my tael coin described above weight between 33 and 34 g (i don't have the decimals on my scale). Also the appearance seems different

Any idea or reference please let me know

 

[Henri Charriere]

I would hate to write off an entire country with over a thousand million people but it appears members on this Forum either know of, or know someone--or have personally experienced, most unfortunate buys from China, so much so that they are unalterably opposed to making any purchases from that country, period.  There surely must be, in a country that size, at least several reputable dealers one can consult on the matter of numismatic acquisitions, but thus far, at least on this Forum, no one to my knowledge has suggested one.  I feel engaging China is fraught with risk.  What recourse would you have if you wired, or otherwise transmitted your funds, and they simply disappeared into a black hole?  I have bought things from Afghanistan, North Korea, and Iraq, but never directly, always through an established American intermediary with a presence and proven track record. I would be interested to know the outcome of your One Tael purchase.

[Vince34]

Thank you for your feedback, 

I totally share your point of view and would never buy those type of coins from China in marketplaces such as alibaba,  aliexpress or Amazon as 99% of coins there are counterfeits.

But i purchased this tael from a French individual on a local marketplace with 2 other coins that appeared genuine.

I will send a message on PCGS forum and will keep you posted

Rgds

 

Edited October 1, 2022 by Vince34