Category Archives: Fantasy Coins

From the PCGS Grading Room: Contemporary Imitations, Numismatic Restrikes, & Fantasies

By Kyle Clifford Knapp for PCGS …… Much of the work of a professional authenticator involves verifying that the coin, token, or medal being examined is genuine. In most cases, “genuine” means roughly that a piece was struck at or originated from the sovereign mint or private entity whose name it bears. However, there are […]

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Prized Private Collections at Heritage Hong Kong Auction

Three exceptional collections, encompassing provincial and the Republic of China, stand poised to help Heritage Auctions’ December 7-9 World & Ancient Coins Platinum Session and Signature Auction continue the growth that has surged throughout the year. The event features the Tony Ma, Glorium, and Monrovia collections – each of which spotlights each collector’s shrewd eye […]

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Rare Chinese Coins Lead Heritage HKINF Auctions Above $14.3 Million

An exceedingly rare Chinese coin, struck in commemoration of the completion of one full lunar cycle since the start of the lunar series, sold for $576,000 to lead Heritage Auctions’ HKINF World & Ancient Coins Platinum Session and Signature Auction July 7-9. The $11,967,441 event was part of the Hong Kong International Numismatic Fair (HKINF), […]

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‘Big Island Collection’ of Hawaiian Coins, Tokens in Heritage Auctions US Coins Event

Offered selection includes items used during coins shortage   As the song says, “Mele Kalikimaka is the thing to say on a bright Hawaiian Christmas day…” Collectors will definitely be celebrating when the Big Island Collection of Hawaiian Coinage and Tokens crosses the auction block at Heritage Auctions’ US Coins Signature event December 16-19, just […]

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PCGS Around the World – Shanghai – A Pair of Chinese Fantasy Coins

By Jay Turner for PCGS …… The area of Chinese numismatics is broad and complex. For a long period of time, some issues were shunned as non-numismatic and labeled as fantasy and forgery issues. This, in part, had to do with the writings of Eduard Kann in his book The Catalog of Chinese Coinage, which […]

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The Curious Gold Fantasy Coins of Shanghai

By Jeremy Bostwick – Senior Numismatist & Cataloger, Stack’s Bowers …… Outside the realm of normal Chinese numismatics is a series of unusual 50 and 25 tael denominations struck in gold, which have been seen for the past century as fantasies rather than official mint issues. These curious pieces feature legends that indicate they were […]

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Gem Proof 1868 Judd-611 Pattern Large Cent in Stack’s Bowers June Baltimore Auction

By James McCartney – Senior Numismatist, Stack’s Bowers …… The Braided Hair large cent was struck for circulation from 1839 through 1857, when it was retired in favor of the smaller Flying Eagle cent. These “late date” large cents are among the most popular United States coins of the 19th century, and collectors often assemble […]

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CoinWeek Ancient Coin Series: Coins, Aliens and UFOs

By Mike Markowitz for CoinWeek …. On the wall of his office in the FBI building’s basement, Special Agent Fox Mulder of the TV series The X-Files has a UFO poster that proclaims: I WANT TO BELIEVE. The sentiment is widely shared, even among numismatists, who are generally a rather skeptical bunch. The “Alien” Coin […]

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World Coins: The Stack’s Bowers and Ponterio April 2018 Hong Kong Showcase Auction

Stack’s Bowers and Ponterio is pleased to announce details of their upcoming Hong Kong Auction of Chinese and Asian coins and currency, to be held Monday, April 2 through Wednesday, April 4, 2018, at The Mira Hong Kong, 118 Nathan Road, Tsim Sha Tsui, Kowloon, Hong Kong. Stack’s Bowers and Ponterio is the leading auctioneer […]

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Modern Gold Plated Proofs -Not affiliated with, licensed or endorsed by the US Mint

By Richard Schwary – California Numismatic Investments How many times have you seen this disclaimer on those cheesy TV ads selling something which looks like a 1929 proof $5 Indian gold piece? And don’t laugh I get a call on something like this once a week. For the record there were never any proof $5 […]

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Counterfeit Coins Detection: California Fractional Gold

A few helpful tips can make sure you never get fooled by these sometimes deceptive fantasy pieces Period Three back-dated BG-1301A listed in California Pioneer Fractional Gold By Max Spiegel, NGC Numismatic Researcher ……   California Fractional Gold is an interesting and historically significant series that includes more than 500 varieties. During the California Gold […]

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NGC Certifies Unique Washington “Dollar”

A mid-19th-century fantasy earned its place in US numismatic history A unique copper specimen of the famed “Washington Dollar Fantasy” was recently certified by Numismatic Guaranty Corporation (NGC). Despite its date of 1794, the piece was actually produced in the early 1860s. It is referenced in Breen-1251, Judd-C1794-1, Baker-28A, and Musante, GW-358. In the early […]

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CoinWeek News Wire for April 28, 2017

By Coinweek …. CoinWeek News Wire for April 21, 2017 Brain Food 1.) The Hidden Science Of The New British Pound Coin There is however one security feature that the Royal Mint are being particularly cagey about, and that is the feature that they deem to make the coins the most difficult ever to forge. […]

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CoinWeek Ancient Coin Series: Coins, Aliens and UFOs

By Mike Markowitz for CoinWeek …. On the wall of his office in the FBI building’s basement, Special Agent Fox Mulder of the TV series The X-Files has a UFO poster that proclaims: I WANT TO BELIEVE. The sentiment is widely shared, even among numismatists, who are generally a rather skeptical bunch. The “Alien” Coin […]

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CoinWeek Ancient Coin Series: Modern Fakes of Ancient Coins

By Mike Markowitz for CoinWeek ….   “To declare that a forged coin is genuine is a mistake, but to declare that a genuine coin is a forgery is a crime.” –Leo Mildenberg (1913 – 2001)[1] FOR CLASSICAL NUMISMATISTS any discussion of fake ancient coins is… a delicate subject. Dealers worry that fear of fakes […]

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CoinWeek Ancient Coin Series: Modern Fakes of Ancient Coins

By Mike Markowitz for CoinWeek …. “To declare that a forged coin is genuine is a mistake, but to declare that a genuine coin is a forgery is a crime.” –Leo Mildenberg (1913 – 2001)[1] FOR CLASSICAL NUMISMATISTS any discussion of fake ancient coins is… a delicate subject. Dealers worry that fear of fakes will […]

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Preview of Stack’s Bowers Ponterio August Hong Kong Showcase Auction

Stack’s Bowers and Ponterio is pleased to announce details of their upcoming Hong Kong Auction of Chinese and Asian coins and currency, to be held Monday August 15 through Wednesday April 17 at The Mira Hong Kong, 118 Nathan Road, Tsim Sha Tsui, Kowloon, Hong Kong. Stack’s Bowers and Ponterio is the leading auctioneer of […]

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CoinWeek’s Weekly Coin and Currency News Roundup – March 11, 2016

By Coinweek …. Welcome to the latest edition of CoinWeek’s Weekly Coin and Currency News Roundup. In this series we recap some of the cool, interesting, offbeat, ludicrous and maybe even disturbing news items that we’ve read over the past week.   Brain Food 1.) The Iron Bank Will Have Its Due No, that’s not […]

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