World Coins: Counterfeit China Chihli Year 34 (1908) L&M-465 Silver Dollar

With counterfeit Chinese coins, the financial reward is often so great that many dies are created from many authentic coins. Just because the contact marks on a coin don't match those of known counterfeits, it doesn’t necessarily mean that the piece is genuine — it might just be that the coin was produced using another counterfeit die. This is the case with two different counterfeit China Chihli, Year 34 (1908) L&M-465 silver dollar coins.

Counterfeit China Chihli, Year 34 (1908) L&M-465 Silver Dollar Die 1 Obverse; Coin 1 and 2 Click image to enlarge.

Counterfeit China Chihli Year 34 (1908) L&M-465 Silver Dollar Die 1 Reverse; Coin 1 and 2 Click image to enlarge.

Counterfeit China Chihli Year 34 (1908) L&M-465 Silver Dollar Die 1; Diagnostics Circled in Red Click image to enlarge.

The first counterfeit die pairing of this coin was received some time ago. On the dragon side, there are a set of die lines through the “th” of “34th,” repeating contact marks above the “O” of “OF,” below the “KU” of “KUANG,” and below the “H” of “HSU,” as well as repeating scratches from the dragon’s claw between the G of “YANG” and the dot. There are also repeating contact marks above the “A” and next to the “Y” of “YANG” and a scratch from the dragon’s pearl to the dragon’s body. On the character side of the coin, there are numerous repeating contact marks including next to the center characters, and scratches at about 10:30.

Counterfeit China Chihli Year 34 (1908) L&M-465 Silver Dollar Die 2 Obverse; Coin 1 and 2 Click image to enlarge.

Counterfeit China Chihli Year 34 (1908) L&M-465 Silver Dollar Die 2 Reverse; Coin 1 and 2 Click image to enlarge.

The second counterfeit die pairing also includes many repeating marks, but is different from the previous die paring. On the dragon side of the coin there are repeating depressions below the “th,” to the side of “Y,” below the “E,” through the bottom tail of “R” of “YEAR,” below the “U” of “KUANG,” and above the “Y” in “YANG”. On the character side of the coin there are also numerous repeating contact marks including next to the center characters and a large one about 1:30.

Counterfeit China Chihli Year 34 (1908) L&M-465 Silver Dollar Die 2; Diagnostics Circled in Red Click image to enlarge.

These are only two of many counterfeit die pairs of the Chihli 1908 L&M-465 dollar coins. In the production of counterfeits, diversification is a key strategy that will keep people from nailing down which pieces are authentic and which are counterfeit. As a result, NGC graders keep a comprehensive image database, consult with outside experts, and extensively study these coins to determine authenticity. Every coin that NGC certifies is guaranteed, which gives buyers of these Chinese coins greater confidence.