Fakes -1
No.
F/1
Weight: 181 grams/5 taels
Date: 1910 A.D.
Inscriptions: 庚戌柒月/福盛匯紋
Year Gan Shu, 7th Month
Fu Shen (Silver shop) Huei Wen*
Assaying chops: 公估童佘段看
Public Assayer Tong, Ser, Duan Looked
Notes:
Imitated type-Saddle (Yunnan)
匯紋 "Huei Wen": Abbreviation of 匯號紋銀 "Huei Hao Wen Yin", i.e., Remittance Bank Fine Silver
Collection of the webmaster
No.
F/2
Weight: 180 grams/5 taels
Date: 1726 A.D.
Inscriptions:雝正/肆年
Yong Zhen (Reign, 1723-1735)
Sze Nien (4th Year)
Notes:
A genuine silver sycee with imitation stamps
Drum silver in 5 taels are very rare, whether they are inscribed or not. The forger ruined this piece by adding an inscription.
The forged inscriptions "Yong Zhen" and "Sze Nien" were written in a type of ancient character now no longer in use. This was the strategy used by the forger to confuse collectors and make them believe the sycee is authentic.
No genuine specimen dated in a year of Yong Zhen have yet been found.
Collection of the webmaster
No.
F/3
Weight: 10 taels
Date: N/A
Inscriptions: 連城縣/三年五月/林敦和
Liang Cheng County (Fujien Province)
3rd Year 5th Month
Lin Dun Ho (The smith)
Notes:
This piece took me 3 days to observe, compare and analyze before I concluded that it is fake. This finding was a real shock to me. I have never been suspicious of a piece just because it is TOO GOOD TO BE TRUE!
The major weaknesses of this piece were residues left on its edge and bottom, and many tiny bubbles on its surface. All of these can be considered abnormal, however, they can't be noticed easily. As a result, the touch on this piece was somewhat sharp and sticky.
When I returned this piece to the seller, he complained I was too picky, since this was one of the rarest kind of sycee and in the best condition that he ever seen. After reiterated my concerns, the seller admitted that he sold more than a dozen pieces of this to different customers, but no one had any questions about them.
6 months later, in December, 2000, the seller told me that he had recalled all the sycee he had sold, because some of the buyers found that the rust on the surface was easily removed by washing, and the whole piece lost all its original toning and turned pale.
All of these pieces have been returned the up-stream dealer in China who claimed to have "excavated" them.
I respect the honest seller who also gave me this picture as souvenir.
Compared with genuine Fujien Round (Steamed Bun)
No.
F/4
Weight: 177 grams/5 taels
Date: N/A
Inscriptions: 珍寶陳記/匯號紋銀
Bao Jen Chen Firm
Remittance Bank Fine Silver
Assaying chops: 珍寶陳記/匯號紋銀
Bao Jen Chen Firm
Remittance Bank Fine Silver
Notes:
Recently, many readers asked me the same question on the authenticity of a Saddle they found at an e-commerce auction site. Instead of answering the questions one by one, I went to our night market to buy a similar piece. I show it here for readers' own judgment. I paid less than US $10 for this piece; the silver content alone in a genuine 5 tael piece makes it's worth at least twice this amount.
No.
F/5
Weight: 27 grams/7.5 maces
Date: N/A
Inscriptions: 貴州官錢局
Kueichow Official Monetary Bureau
Notes:
Also found at the night market are
many Round or Half Ball with inscriptions as above shown. They are also
frequently seen in the trade and at internet auction sites. I bought two
identical ones to test. I cut one open to show that there is not even a
small amount of silver inside.
A genuine piece like that should weigh 1 tael in the Gu scale (Kueichow provincial weighing scale) which equals about 36 grams. These pieces weigh far less than the standard.
No.
F/6
Weight: 382 grams/10 taels
Date: 1909-1911 A.D.
Inscriptions: 陽谷縣/宣統年月/恆源銀爐
Yang Guo County
Hsuan Tung Year Month
Heng Yuan Silver Furnace
Notes:
This is an imitation of the Shandong Boat, on which we can find many flaws:
Its inscribed characters are all in
the modern "Kai Su" (the Regular Script) and each of them seems to be
in printed font, not hand-written.
Artificial rust covers all its surface to
create an aged look.
A genuine piece of this type does not have
evident waves on its face as this piece does.
There is a lot of residue left on its surface.
Low silver fineness
Image provided by Hu Chun Chung
No.
F/7
Weight: 90 grams/2.3 taels
Date: N/A
Inscriptions: 扶風地丁
Fu Feng (County)
Land and Poll Tax
Notes:
This piece is a modern
counterfeited Shaansi Groove.
It was cast from a mold taken from a genuine piece.
The maker did not use silver of sufficient fineness for the reproduction since
this piece is in a mixture of low silver and base metals. Therefore, its weight
is relatively light when compared with a piece of sycee of the same size.
A genuine specimen of Fu Feng Land and Poll Tax (Sas4-6/1).
No.
F/8
Weight: 151 grams/4+ taels
Date: N/A
Inscriptions: 任恆泰號/足色條丁
Zen Hen Tai Firm
Pure Fineness Land and Poll Tax Silver
Notes:
This is a modern imitation of an
Yunnan Triple
Groove. The following weakness can be
easily identified
- There is a significant amount of residue
on its crude surface.
In order to hide this, the piece has been
thoroughly hammered.
- Its surface has turned unnaturally pale,.
rather than becoming
darker as it tarnished.
- The space within each stamp has been chemically
darkened to make
it look aged
- The silver fineness is low
No.
F/9
Weight: 5 taels
Date: 1885 A.D.
Inscriptions: 新關/光緒十一年七月
New Customs (Gio Jiang in Jiangsi Province)
The 7th Month, 11th Year of Kuang Hsu
Notes:
An imitation made by casting
Seen in trade
F/10
Weight: N/A
Date: N/A.
Inscriptions: 華俄銀行/庫平一兩/十足
The Sino-Russo Asiatic Bank
1 Tael in the Treasury Scale
Sufficiently Pure
Notes:
An imitation made of low silver and coated with artificial patina
Seen in trade
Listed below are images of a genuine example for comparison:
Go to Fakes-2