Current eBay dealer in Fake Coins: junguoxu2011

Reference: Fake Chinese Coin seller eBay ID junguoxu2011

This dealer repeats the mistake that others made a few years ago when I first started outing Chinese sellers of fake cash. He includes a photo of a dig where coins are shown being dug up and poured out in huge piles. Yes, this really does happen. But then he makes the mistake of showing bulk quantities of the coins he is selling. Since the photo of the real coins is far too small to see the details, he thinks he can get away with it. Here, let's take a look!

The dig.

The dealer's bulk lots. You can order bulk coins from this pile: 20 pieces for $15, 50 pieces for $30. Using the same image, he calls the 20 for $15 offer Chinese old coins, etc., and the 50 for $30 he calls coins dug up in Java. Well, I've been to Java and seen what coins are dug up there and, believe you me, these are NOT them!

Here's a closeup.

And here's a typical sample of what you might get if you order.

Every coin pictured above is guaranteed fake. Guaranteed by whom? Well, it should by the seller. He should be honest and tell us something like this:

Well-made modern reproductions of ancient and medieval Chinese historic coins, lightly artificially patinated, for decorative use, or for student education in numismatic science. Can supply specimens from all dynastic periods at reasonable prices.

Unfortunately, the Chinese sellers offering this stuff could care less about what they are doing to the numismatic community. They're only into it for the money, and they are betraying their country and culture.

I was going to post the listings of individual coins, but there are just too many. I have downloaded all of them, or almost all, from his auction current as of the date of this post, to be used in future articles on my blog or at my webpage.

Here are just a few of what he's selling today. All these coins are either over-sized versions of the real thing, or bronze versions of iron coins that would be of approximately the 34mm diameter that these fakes are.

Make-Believe Certification that doesn't even try very hard!

Reference: Fake Chinese Coin seller eBay ID junguoxu2011

What caught my eye at first were the beautifully made fake cash coins shown in 2x2 white mylar holders. Even though it's after midnight, I can't forsake my duty to divulge the identity of yet another purveyor of ‘let's pretend we have ancient coins’ on eBay. But after I looked at this seller's whole stock, I found what amazed me even more—slabbed coins similar to the discovery disclosed in my previous post, only these slabs are even more ‘pretend’ than the others. It's almost the work of a thirteen year old who is playing at being a grown-up numismatist. Take a look at these slabs and their labelling!

HAGS Genuine is what the front label proclaims without exactly telling us who or what HAGS stands for, or what is genuine. Is it the slab, the label, what? And the skinny strip of bar coding below—what is that? some kind of magic symbol that is supposed to take away our fear that what is slabbed might be fake? Give me a break!

The label on the back is even more mystical. Along with its funny, circular logo, it now looks like it says HAGS & World. Then, above that, in a nice box, it proclaims, ‘The most professional accreditation bodies.’ Whoopee! I am so impressed! But then, as a final mark of authenticity, at the bottom of the label is ‘The Authority of Justice.’

And I thought we had hit the gravelly bottom of the Yangtze when we ran into China-Changbao.com! At least they looked like they were trying to deceive. HAGS, on the other hand, doesn't even try to deceive, or else they think that most eBayers are as dumb as stumps.

I am so tired of this. Now, as to the fake cash coins. I have to dedicate a post specially to the fake cash coins of this new arrival, junguoxu2011. He's done a far better job (from his point of view, I'm sure) at convincing us of the authenticity of his wares.

Hang on to your seats! Fake coins certified by fake Certification Companies!

Reference: Fake Chinese Coin seller eBay ID weichunfang1128

Poor, innocent me, a small town Illinois boy living out on the edge of a cliff on the West Coast! Good thing I started studying foreign languages at the age of eight. Chinese, Russian and Hebrew I took up around age thirteen. Not the Russian, but the Chinese and Hebrew and a few others I've never stopped learning. A lot of it has to do with my insatiable interest in foreign cultures and their coins.

So even though I started out life as a Tom Sawyer in the 1950's, I learned my stuff, and I'm here to make sure no one hoodwinks any of you out there who might share my childhood through adulthood passion—foreign coins! After putting together my last post, I lingered at eBay a minute or two, and then came across the following boldfaced assault on numismatic integrity.

A company in China, with a webpage, www.china-changbao.com, has set itself up as a slabbed coin certifier of Chinese coins. The first one that met my eyes was this 'dollar', called by the seller a "1929 China Silver Coin, Memento Sun Yat Sen Silver Coin $1".

The coin is in a slab, a very official looking one, complete with serial numbers and barcode, and on the back of the slab, barely visible at the top, is the web address that I referenced above. The coin is graded at MS-60, that is, Mint State 60. Looking at the piece, it's obvious from the photograph that both sides of the coin have been harshly, abrasively cleaned. There are scratches all over the piece. The other point is that this is not a 'Memento Dollar' but instead (if my memory serves me right) an example or a copy of a rare 'Junk Dollar' pattern designed by an Italian designer.

It's quite obvious that some Chinese are utterly contemptuous of Western standards in numismatics, not only claiming qualification to grade coins, but even asserting (by silence) the coin's authenticity. It was bad enough in the old days when one had to watch out for the occasional cagey or dishonest coin dealer. Now we have to watch out for fake grading services. I suppose this is not new. It's just I have not had to deal with it before.

Future generations are really going to have a field day trying to separate fakes from authentic coins. In the case of better made fakes, some are so exact that for all practical purposes they are indistinguishable. Not, however, with this piece. Wherever it goes from that starting bid of US $0.01, I hope only that the fraud is discovered quickly and dispensed with.

Current eBay Dealer in Fake Coins: anhuijieshou2013

Reference: Fake Chinese Coin seller eBay ID anhuijieshou2013

It really is time to return to a determined hunt for these dealers of fake coins, but it's like, you don't have to look far. As soon as I open eBay and it goes to my default view "Coins: World" and Sort: "Price + Shipping: lowest first" I am usually face to face with a fake coin. That's exactly what happened this afternoon. The guest of honor? anhuijieshou2013.

What's odd about this dealer is, I think this seller is trying 'something new' that is not really in his line. I think that his original inventory may not be coins at all, but women's clothes. Why? In better than average Chenglish, after describing the item for sale as "China Ancient Copper coin Diameter: 30mm", the description continues, "If you feel the size is a bit small, it's normal. The underwear is stretchable so the size looks smaller but it actually fits you well."

This dealer currently has listed 33 'coins' for sale, a mix of struck coppers and imitations of cash coins or charms in cash coin format, along with one 'tally' (a sort of holed rectangular copper tablet used in ancient times for financial purposes). After my last post, I can see that if I show every coin that a dealer is selling, I could be here for hours. Rule of thumb, if even one coin is a guaranteed fake (that is, from our point of view, not from a Chinese merchant's) it's best to avoid all his offerings, unless you (like me) are on the look out for some interesting copies of rare coins, or fantasy pieces that you can put on your coffee table as conversation starters.

I wonder how the seller's handle is written in Chinese. Ānhuī 安徽 is the name of a province. Jieshou could be written in a n umber of ways, but one of them, Jiěshǒu 解手 means 'to relieve oneself.'

As for the coins. Here's a few of the struck coinage types, fake because these are not coins that could be sold on eBay starting at $0.01. The volume and variety of struck Chinese copies and fantasies is bewildering. Modern technology and Chinese ingenuity have flooded the market with worthless scrap metal in the shape of historic coins.

Group 1: Execution too precise

Group 2: Fantasies never struck officially

The real coin based on this pattern is a 20 cash piece denominated as 雙枚 Shuāng méi.

Group 3: Somewhat deceptive, almost look real

This one looks real because of the patina and wear, but examination in hand would probably prove it to be a well-made fake.

Actually, I think this one is a fantasy that resembles a real coin.

Group 4: Fake 天下太平 Tiānxià Tàipíng Charms
A series of charms was issued during the Qing dynasty with this inscription on one side, which means essentially 'Peace and Harmony Everywhere' and on the other side the usual imperial inscription, the emperor's reign title and 通寶 Tōng Bǎo, 'circulating treasure'.
Authentic charms of this type, as issued, did not have any carving in the rims. In fact, no cash coins or cash type charms are ever cast with carvings in the rims. (A few types have characters cast into the rims, but this looks different.) All carvings are added later. The fake charms shown below cannot be authentic for reasons other than the carvings. Calligraphy and module are just not correct on these. Also, an important aspect to notice about cash coins is, the edges are always cast square. Any cash coin with excessively rounded edges on both faces is highly suspect. This is the most common sign that a large size cash coin is a modern fake.

Group 5: Miscellaneous Fake Charms and Cash

Round holes are often used for charms, but almost never for coins.

Similar to the 天下太平 Tiānxià Tàipíng Charms

Conclusions

My conclusion about this seller is that his fakes are not really good enough to collect as well-made copies of rare coins, and his fantasy pieces are pretty pedestrian. Perhaps if he normally sells women's underthings, some of the ladies might enjoy having one or two of these charms on their dressing table or in a jewel box, but that's about all they're worth from a collectors point of view.