Chinese Counterfeit Coins

By Ed McDonough

According to an article in the November issue of Coin World magazine, producing good quality counterfeit coins has become a very lucrative dream business in China, since it is not illegal to produce counterfeit coins and paper money there. Both Chinese and American coinage have been reproduced, many of them “slabbed” in what appear legitimate American coin grading company reproductions. Due to the finer quality of these operations, the average collector can be in a quandary unless they take special precautions.

A Chinese coin reproducer named Liu Ciyun is a large distributor on eBay and goes by the name “Jinghuashei.” If one goes to this site, one will see the reproduced items that are now labeled as “reproductions” since eBay has strict regulations regarding these types of products to alert potential buyers. The coins themselves are also stamped as reproductions, but how would all of these other exports be monitored, and what becomes of these items after passing hands? There are approximately 100 manufactures that produce about 100,000 fakes a month for Chinese-type coins alone.

ANACS, America’s oldest coin grading service, says that one way to tell the different is that these fakes are produced done with black gaskets in the slabs, and the slabs and do not properly fit the coin, while ANACS’s legitimately graded slabs are produced without black gaskets. The counterfeiter denies copying any PCGS slabs because they are “real trouble,” yet a 1916 Chinese silver coin has surfaced as a PCGS graded slab.

The collector’s only recourses are experience, knowledge, and when unsure, check with the local reputable coin dealer in the area. I have been a coin collector and dealer for more than 40 years and yet I still make mistakes and can be duped on occasion.

Coin World magazine is on the web at http://www.coinworld.com, but you must be a subscriber to access its articles online.

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Automobilia China Part Two

By David Bausch

While most of the early china objects depicting the automobile were from Europe (the home of the automobile), it wasn’t long until the automobile fever caught on here in the U.S. of A. While Royal Doulton of England, and Villeroy and Boch of Germany were making china picturing the automobile, it was Roseville of Zanesville, Ohio, that took up the effort to portray the automobile on China in America.

Roseville produced a large series of pottery known as “Tourist.” There were 29 different shapes of pottery that carried the Tourist design. I should say designs, because there was more then one design in the series. Usually, two autos are found on the larger items and one on the smaller pieces. Some of the cars are roadsters and others are touring cars of different styles; one of the series shows a car broken down with a flat tire. A flat tire was not an unusual problem; at least not in the very early days of motoring. I am sure many of the motorists could relate to that experience.

A large jardinière on a pedestal base will command a price of $2,500 to $3,000. A small bowl can run around $300 to $500. Condition is very important, crazing is very common on this pottery, and crazing reduces the value of any item in this series.

Automobile China by Royal Doulton

By David Bausch

Nothing speaks of the Edwardian era more clearly then the series of china produced by Royal Doulton of England. This china was designed by John Holdcroft, and was known as the Motorist Series. This series was produced in its factory in Burslem England from the years 1903-1913.
Royal Doulton produced a full line of china in this Motorist pattern including: dinner plates (large 10 3/8 inches and small 9 5/8 inches); mugs; biscuit jars; spittoons; flower vases (large and small); and a chocolate pitcher.

The different scenes were: “After the Run;” “A Horse, A Horse;” “Blood Money;” “Deaf;” “Itch yer on Gov’no;” “Nerve Tonic;”; “Room for One;” and “The New and the Old.”

John Holdcroft also designed a series of china at the same period of time using aircraft on china, including plates and pitchers. This aircraft series is quite scarce, but not a subject for this article; the aircraft china has a limited audience compared to the number of collectors of the Motorist series of china.

The value for a Motorist Dinner Plate (10 3/8 inches) has a range of $250-$300; a large compote can demand a price of $400-$450. Condition is always important.

Chinese Export Porcelain’s Fascinating Journey from early china

By Lisa Marion of Marks4Antiques

Many moons ago, and as a novice collector of porcelain, I thought that the phrase “Chinese Export Porcelain” meant to include all items imported from China and primarily copies or imitations of European & American pottery. After reading several articles and books on the subject, and having visited numerous decorative arts museums or private collections, I came to realize that this term is reserved for a much older line of porcelain wares, made in China, that actually were once the envy and basis of European porcelain makers to imitate, not the other way around.

Chinese export porcelain has attracted the interest of a growing number of collectors on a worldwide basis. Nowadays, auction houses in major cities around the world regularly schedule sales devoted exclusively to Chinese Export Porcelain. Prices vary, depending on age and decorative appeal, provenance and of course condition, and seem to keep escalating all the time. A notable example, in 1786 George Washington purchased a 302-piece set of Chinese Export Porcelain for $150. In the early 20th century, Chinese export pieces of good quality could still be easily purchased at very reasonable prices.

While Chinese porcelain exporting dates back to the early part of the 16th century, interest went down drastically between 1850s and the 1900s, a period when imports to various western countries virtually came to a halt. So much so was this the case that a major English authority on porcelain marks, William Chaffers, in his first edition of Marks and Monograms on European and Oriental Pottery and Porcelain (1863), erroneously identified this porcelain as having been made at a small factory in Lowestoft, UK. This attribution was made despite the fact that hundreds of thousands of pieces, still existing at the time, had been imported into England for many years prior to 1756 when the little Lowestoft works were established. The factory ceased to exist in 1802.

Chaffers’ erroneous attribution had one unfortunate effect: it was accepted as the gospel truth. Consequently, this pure Chinese porcelain has been called Oriental Lowestoft or Chinese Lowestoft for almost one hundred years, causing considerable confusion to antiques dealers and collectors alike. Today the term Chinese export porcelain is considered an accurate one since the porcelain was made in China, it was made for export, and it is true hard paste. This term has now been adopted by practically all leading international auction houses and galleries. We have also taken extra steps in our attributions of related marks and items on our Marks4Antiques.com databases. It is important to note that at no time did this porcelain have a generic name in the manner of Bow, Chelsea, Spode or Meissen, which took the name of the factory or town where made. Before Chaffers, Chinese Export china was referred to as India Company China in England.

The Origins of Chinese Porcelain
The manufacture of Chinese porcelain goes back a number of centuries, some experts say as early as 100 B.C. According to most historians, porcelain was made at different locations in China. But it was Emperor Woeng Wu (Ming Dynasty ca 1368–1398) who selected the town of Ching-te Chen, on the P’oyang River in the province of Kiangsi, to build kilns for the organized manufacture of porcelain, initially destined for the royal palace. Soon afterwards, other private factories were established near or around the area, and the town was to become known as “The Porcelain City.” Ching-te Chen was surrounded with all the necessary elements for the making of fine porcelain. In the riverbed was an excellent quality of white clay (kaolin); in the hills a good quality of feldspar (petuntse) for the glaze, abundant ferns, the ashes of which were mixed with the petuntse to harden the glaze, and pigments for the porcelain. Also in the hills were coal and wood to fire the kilns. In addition, the location on the P’oyang river, near P’oyang lake, gave the town access through a series of waterways and overland trails to some of the major seaports, including Canton, about four hundred miles to the southeast.

Over the years the importance of Ching-te Chen grew substantially. In the 18th century it is said to have had around 3,000 kilns and a population of a million people. In some ways the city can be compared with the modern-day auto-manufacturing center of Detroit, Mich. Practically everyone was engaged in some aspect of the porcelain industry. A type of production line was developed in which each individual had one specific task to perform in the manufacture of a single piece, a method first used in the U.S. much later, in the late 19th century, and which we now believe sparked our Industrial Revolution.

Export of Chinese Porcelain made at Ching-te Chen began fairly early. A steady flow of exports, however, did not begin until the arrival of Portuguese merchants at Canton in 1517. When barred from the ports of Ningho and Chuan, the Portuguese established a trade post at Macao. Since 1557 this coastal city has been their private possession. In 1596 the Dutch reached Bantam, and in 1598 a Dutch fleet of eight ships sailed to trade with the Far East. The British East India Company was set up in 1599 and established at Bantam in 1620. In 1698 the first French ship traded with the Far East.

In Come the Europeans
In 1699, the Emperor Kang Hsi finally opened the port of Canton to foreign trade and the English established the first hong, or factory, on the banks of Pearl River. They were followed by the French in 1728, the Dutch in 1729, the Danes in 1731, and Swedes in 1732, together with the Austrians, Russians, Indians, Armenians, the Spanish Manila Company, and finally the Americans in 1784. The largest number of hongs at any one time was 13. They were two or three stories high with the first floor reserved for business and the storing of merchandise while the second and third floors were used for living quarters for the staff. No women were allowed at the hongs and this restriction lasted until after the Opium Wars in 1841.

At first, with the Portuguese, Spanish and Dutch merchants, all porcelain exported was of the blue and white variety and the forms were largely of Chinese origin. It wasn’t long, however, before the trading nations began to order forms and shapes that were more appealing to the European taste. The merchants supplied the Chinese potters with wooden models as well as actual European items in silver, pewter, faience, etc., to be copied in porcelain. As early as 1639, records of the Dutch East India Company show an order for 25,000 items was to be made from wood models supplied by the Dutch.

Much Chinese export porcelain survives today in near perfect condition largely because of the extraordinary number of pieces shipped to the major European countries and, after 1784, directly to America. These literally run into the millions. In America, imports increased sharply after the Revolutionary War and again after the War of 1812. In Europe, however, the volume of trade steadily declined during the 19th century, and virtually came to an end when the town of Ching-te Chen was destroyed and most of the inhabitants slaughtered during the T’aip’ing rebellion in 1853. The town and the kilns were later rebuilt, but it never again attained its prominent position in the manufacture of porcelain.

Porcelain Made Closer to Home
However, the principal cause of the decline in the trade is due to the gradual takeover of the porcelain business by English and continental factories. The secrets of Chinese production were mastered, primarily by German and Dutch craftsmen. They were in a good position to satisfy the European and North American customers for two reasons: that of taste and promptness of delivery. Orders taken by the East India companies would generally be two years or longer in filling. English and continental manufacturers either carried the items in stock or could supply them on short notice at competitive prices.

At first, it was not easy for the Europeans to copy the glazes and the colors so expertly developed by the Chinese. Until late 17th century, almost all export porcelain was of the blue and white variety. After the kilns at Ching-te Chen were burned down by warring factions in 1675, they were rebuilt by the Emperor K’ang-hsi and new colors were developed for decoration, most notably famille verte (green), and porcelain making reached a very high quality. Soon after, other colors such as rouge-de-fer and gold were developed and the quality of the porcelain reached an even higher level. Later, between the 1730s and the 1750s, the beautiful famille rose colors and decoration were perfected.

At the same time, however, during the height of the western trade, ship captains and managers (or super cargoes) were instructed to purchase pieces of heavier quality to reduce breakage in shipping. Concurrent with this change to heavier (and poorer) porcelain, the quality of decoration began its decline. The coarse, heavy porcelain, often with crudely decorated designs, bore little resemblance to that of fine egg shell quality and detailed decoration.

New designs were introduced at the end of this period and during the early part of the 19th century. Among them was the so-called Fitzhugh design in blue, green, orange, brown, mulberry, gold, black, yellow and combinations of colors, and the Rose Medallion, design in which a piece is largely covered with large floral medallions in rose, greens, and blues. Other designs introduced at this time include the Mandarin, in which the floral medallions enclose Chinoiserie designs in colors similar to those of Rose Medallion, and a design of overall flowers, birds, and butterflies in shades of orange and brown which today is referred to as the Sacred Bird and Butterfly design.

The art of gold leafing dates back to the times of the Pharaohs. Gold leafing is a process in which artisans hammer gold until it has achieved thin layers. The layers are then applied over the item to give it the look of solid gold.

Probably the most famous example of this is the burial mask of King Tutankhamen or “King Tut.” Not only the mask but several objects would be gold leafed. This is why the ancient burial chambers used to get looted by thieves and the thieves would in turn take the objects and peel the gold off them which then had the consistency or weight similar to tin foil. The gold would be melted down and resold.

Through the years, decades, and centuries up until today gold leafing has become a refined art form. The gold leaf has become the weight and thickness of feathers and is still used for application over picture frames and any given number of objects. This process is still very costly and time-consuming. As with everything else, this process is imitated to give an item the “look” of being gold leafed.

Being in the antiques and estate jewelry business, I have had several people approach me over the years regarding ceramic and glass objects being marked “24K gold trim” or “painted in solid 24K gold.” There is a ring of truth as to the gold trim being 24K, but the amount of solid gold actually used is not worth the cost of a telephone call. Through the aid of modern technology, dishes and glassware can be elaborately decorated in gold paint.

Gold painted items–examples

I have shown a few 20th century examples of gold painting on china and glassware. The first is the Hawaiian souvenir dish from the 1980’s being labeled on the front “24K gold trim”. This gives the novice buyer self assurance of the item being of value and collectability.

The second piece is a 1930’s oval dish with handles. It is marked “Pickard China 24K Gold.” It looks very good and one would think that the gold alone on this dish is very valuable but it is actually worth about $10-$20.00.

Then we have American glassware from the 1950’s with etched gold rims again worth about $10-$20.00 each. So if you have or see in your antiquing ventures that golden stamp of 24K, just remember that it is not the monetary value of the item being marked.

I hope this gives you some insight into gold leafing versus gold-painted wares.

After spending over 15 hours on a to jet to Beijing, my rubber legs ambled off the plane, through customs, towards the baggage carousel, where I waited to be reunited with my luggage. I was not too groggy to notice the gigantic Kentucky Fried Chicken mural and chuckle over its absurdity. Across the airport, I saw a man wearing something that caught my eye. As he approached me, I confirmed he was wearing a 1950s era MA-1 nylon flight jacket worn by US fighter pilots during the cold war era.

His jacket was nice. The knit cuffs were not blown out. Its sage green color was not bleached or faded and it still had the desirable nylon webbed tab on the front, where the pilot clips his oxygen mask. I have sold many of these vintage jackets over the last decade to China and Japan and I wondered what the chances were of this person acquiring his jacket from me. As I watched him wait for his luggage, I gathered up the nerve to approach him and ask him about his jacket. I quickly learned that although his English was better than my Chinese, he was not fluent. When I said, “cool jacket” things clicked and I could tell that he was pleased by my compliment. We exchanged a few more words and he allowed me to photograph him in his jacket. Then we departed in different directions.

Despite language and cultural differences, I was pleased to be able have a moment of mutual appreciation with a stranger over a collectible piece of vintage apparel. This could not have been a better introduction to China!

On the grounds of the U.S. Naval Observatory near the British Embassy in Washington, D.C. sits a grand old Victorian mansion built in 1893. Originally the home of the Chief of Naval Operations, it was requisitioned as the first official home for the vice president of the United States in 1974. One Observatory Circle, as it was officially renamed, would be the home of the new vice president, but it would be left to President Jimmy Carter’s vice president, Walter Mondale, to be the very first vice president to move into the residence full time in 1977.

It is in fact a rather small home. Painted in white, with three floors, the total useable floor space is only 9,150 square. On the first floor, or official rooms, there is a reception hall, living room, sitting room, sun porch, dining room and small pantry. Having attended an official function at One Observatory Circle in the 1980s, I can attest that the dining room would handle only a rather small official dinner.

I bring all this up because lately, official vice presidential china has been appearing on auction sites such as Ebay with the connotation that the pieces are ‘official.’ There doesn’t seem to be enough room at One Observatory Circle to hold a very large official dinner there, so there can’t have been a lot of official china produced for official events. And if there is official china, what does it look like, when was it used, and where was it purchased and in what quantities?

To answer those supposedly easy questions, I started by asking the White House Curator’s office whether they had any records of official vice presidential china being ordered through the executive branch. The office immediately responded that their official records do not indicate any official vice presidential chinaware or glassware being ordered or received at the White House or any executive office.

Later, I was delighted to find out that the former vice president under George H W Bush, Dan Quayle, opened a Vice President’s Museum in his home town of Indianapolis, Indiana as part of his official library. Unfortunately, his curator had no official records as far as he knew about vice presidential china, but promised to find out for sure. None of my emails or phone calls to follow up were ever returned.

But this is an important question. Collectors are being asked to spend large sums to purchase what is billed as ‘official’ vice presidential chinaware without any official records of type, design, cost, manufacturer, style, inventory, or usage available to determine whether these pieces are, or were, official at all.

It is possible that some vice presidents, like Nelson Rockefeller, may have routinely provided their own dinnerware at their own expense. However, that doesn’t seem likely to be a routine expense for all the vice presidents since at least 1977.

I have found an ivory porcelain design with a gold rim edging featuring the post-1975 seal of the vice president in gold along the rim. There is enough provenance to associate this design with the office of the vice president, but where did it come from and from whom? No one quite knows.

There are other versions of plates individually featuring the pre- and post- 1975 seal of the vice president in blue, white and gold being routinely auctioned on Ebay. But without enough provenance how do we directly link these pieces to the office of vice president? So, where did these additional designs come from? No one knows the answer to these questions either.

We can only conclude that pieces being offered as official vice presidential china can’t as yet be verified as authentic until there is additional study. Much more information is required through official sources to definitively determine whether official vice presidential china and glassware exists, what is its design, which company manufactured it, in what quantities, and when was it used. Perhaps members of the WorthPoint community can help.

PCGS will display the dies and numerous counterfeit Chinese coins at the Long Beach, Calif., Coin, Stamp and Collectibles Expo Sept 18-20 as part of its consumer protection measure. The dies and coins were purchased through an online auction from a seller based in China. The dies are reasonably well made but the counterfeit coins would be detected quickly as fakes by specialists in Chinese coinage.

These coins are a trap for tourists who see them as a real bargain and buy them.

PCGS wanted to remove the dies and coins from the market to protect unsuspecting or unwary collectors. Unfortunately, it is suspected there are many more counterfeit coin dies out there.

Currently it is a pretty big problem in China, with plenty of poor quality counterfeits to fool tourists. However there are some good counterfeits coming out of China, and that can be dangerous.

The counterfeit dies and coins will be displayed at the PCGS booth #807, during the September expo. For more information you can call (800) 447-8848, e-mail CustomerService@collectors.com or visit www.PCGS.com.

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