Archive for March, 2010

Chinese 8g Gold Lunar Coin Series – 1981 Gold Rooster

Sunday, March 14th, 2010

China 1981 8 grams Gold Rooster Coin

1981 was the Chinese Zodiac year of Rooster.  Its commemorative coin of Rooster was officially issued in January of 1981.

On the obverse of the gold coin, there engraved “Beijing” in Chinese characters and the year of circulation. The famous White Pagoda of the Chinese ancient Imperial Beihai Park was selected as its architecture design. Beihai Park is situated in the north of Zhongnanhai, covering an area of more than seventy hectares (over 170 acres). It was once an Imperial Garden of the Liao, Jin, Yuan, Ming and Qing Dynasties and has a history of more than 800 years. The White Pogoda which stands out on the top of the Qionghua Islet is the symbol of the Park. It was built in 1651 and was reconstructed twice in 1679 and 1731 in Qing Dynasty. This Lamaist pagoda, 35.9 meters (117.8 feet) high, about 72 meters in circumference, has lofty brick basis and inside which there were incantations written in Tibetan Language. The shape of the White Pogoda rooted in Religious architecture of Nepal.  Therefore it is seen as an example of the Chinese traditional architecture combined with foreign arts.

On the reverse…

Read the full story with images

Eliminate coin fraud by buying “Certified” Panda Coins

Sunday, March 7th, 2010

<h2>Eliminate coin fraud by buying “Certified” Panda Coins</h2>

Hello and Welcome to my Guide on eliminating the risk of buying Chinese Panda Coins online.
Reason I’m writing this guide is to educate our clients and the eBay community on how to protect from counterfeit Chinese Panda Coin Scams mainly from Chinese vendors, and also make people aware the benefits of buying certified graded coins.
No offence to my chinese counterparts, but there’s been a rash of “fake” Chinese Pandas hitting the US and European marketplace like never before.
Counterfeit coins in general hurts the hobby,dealers and investors alike including myself.
By writing this guide I’m hoping it will eliminate 99.9% of all Chinese Panda fraud here on eBay.
I’ve been dealing in coins full time since 1977; I’ve also sold tens of thousands of Chinese Pandas since 1982.
To give you an idea, a gem quality PCGS silver panda sells for about $80-100 and the NGC sells for $60-80 dollars.
What does that mean for you? 
Your coin will not only be guaranteed authentic, but it will have a numismatic grade which in turns… Read the Full Story

Ying Yuan – Ancient Chinese Gold Coin

Saturday, March 6th, 2010

Ying Yuan

21 of China’s first gold coins were unearthed in the City of Dafeng in Jiangsu province in April 2009. Recently it has been identified by Jiangsu province’s Bureau of Cultural Relics as the “Ying Yuan” from the Chu state during the period of the Warring States. ‘Ying’ was the name of the Chu capital and ‘Yuan’ was the currency unit of weight. With a history of about 2,500 years, these gold coins are China’s earliest discovered coins.

According experts at the Jiangsu Bureau of Cultural Relics, these ‘Ying Yuan’ were unearthed at the Friendship village in Liuzhuang township in the City of Dafeng. The coins vary in size but have consistent thickness, weighing 175 grams. The characters ‘Ying Yuan’ are stamped on the coin surface using the square seal script calligraphic style. These coins were circulated and widely used in the Chu state during the period of the Warring States.

After appraisal work performed by a specially appointed team of experts by the Jiangsu province Bureau of Cultural Relics, the place of origin of the excavated coins is clear. These widely circulated “Ying Yuan” had been chiselled and engraved, and provides important value for the research of coins of the Warring States period as well as insight into how “Ying Yuan” were used. Previously in 1982, “Ying Yuan” were unearthed in the county of Xuyi in Jiangsu Province. Those were still intact in rectangular blocks not having been cut or circulated… Read the Full Story