Forged Fu Chang Yuan Bao cash coins

One of the main problems in the collecting of Chinese ancient coins is to recognize faked coins, that are presented on the market in huge quantities.
Below are presented examples of two forged Fu Chang Yuan Bao coins, one of the rariest and nice coins in the Chinese history.
Those fakes are very good made and the main distinctive factor is calligraphy.

      Click left image to enlarge 		Diameter: 26.0-26.3 mm
Weight: 4.5 g

Gilbert Tan:
The calligraphy is poor on both fakes <first and third coins on this page - V.B.>, especially the brownish one.
The right character is especially poor on the brownish piece. Notice that the centre horizontal line in the lower box is actually symmetrical to the upper and lower parts of the box.
Real Fu Chang coins are written with very beautiful caligraphy which the fakes can not yet copy.

John Liang:
This one looks to me like an imitation: the words are not right, especially Chang which is blurred.... you don't see ancient coins with blurred words too often, and the character style is not elegant. This coin is usually in the elegant Song style...
I think coin itself is old... but they simply change the words on it...
But of course, have to see the real thing before making a final judgement...

      Click image to enlarge 		Diameter: 26.2 - 26.4 mm
Weight: 4.71 g
Metal: silver or silver plated copper

Image received from S.Shevtsov (01-Mar-02).

Vladimir Belyaev:
Thise piece was made in the same mould as coin shown above.
Calligraphy is 100% identical. Also pay attention, for example, to external rim shape near 7 o'clock on the reverse or near 9 o'clock on the obverse.


      Click left image to enlarge 		Diameter: ~25 mm
Weight: 5.83 g

Image received from S.Sidorovich (07-Dec-98).

Gilbert Tan:
On this piece the top character is very poor. The lowest horizontal line does not display good stroke execution which is obvious on the real coin.

Diameter: ... mm
Weight: ... g

Image of the genuine coin from the book Zhong Guo Guqian, Jainshang Yu Shoucang, Shanghai, 1997.

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