By Richard Giedroyc for Numismaster

Most world coin collectors will sooner or later come into contact with counterfeit coins of the Chinese Empire and from the period of the republic. Coin dealer Stephen Album’s comments on finding these coins for sale in markets throughout the Peoples’ Republic of China have been published in this column in the past.

There are two types of counterfeit coins, contemporary and modern. Contemporary counterfeits are of more interest academically since they were produced to deceive merchants and consumers when spent. Modern counterfeits of collector coins are produced for a different reason, that reason being because coin collectors pay a premium for certain genuine older coins for their collections.

Up until recently, the majority of Chinese counterfeit currently appearing in markets are coins that are modern copies of earlier issues coveted by collectors. Now, however, current legal tender coins of the PRC are being counterfeited as well. And, it appears to be big business.