Fake SJC Gold Bullion Returns to Market

Gold bullion copying SJC, the country’s most popular brand name, has recently re-emerged on the market, dismaying both gold traders and the bars’ authentic producer, Saigon Jewelry Co.

While forged gold bullion used to be produced only under the form of the 1/5-tael, or 0.24 ounce, bar, it is now circulated in the form of one-tael bullion, according to gold traders.

Faking SJC gold bullion will help gold smugglers regularize their contraband raw material gold, and rake in huge profits.

With SJC gold bullion chosen as the national gold brand name, Saigon Jewelry Co has called on the State Bank of Vietnam and police to probe into the case.

Many gold shops in the Mekong Delta provinces have reportedly refused to buy gold bullion, fearing that the metal has not been authentically produced by SJC.

On the fake gold bullion, the first letter of the word ‘tael’ is embedded on its surface in a slightly larger font than that of the authentic bars, according to an owner of a gold shop in Ho Chi Minh City’s District 8, who currently has an allegedly fake SJC gold bar.

“Its purity is also less than 99.99 percent, which an authentic SJC gold bar is supposed to have,” he added.

The fake bullion is made in such a sophisticated way that it is almost impossible to tell it apart from the real deal with the naked eye, gold traders said, adding that even the distinguishing differences on the fake gold bullion have all been rectified.

Gold shop owners are now more wary of customers wishing to sell SJC gold bullion than ever before, and all refuse those with old or torn packaging.

“We only earn a little profit by buying SJC gold bullion. But a fake gold bar will cost us a huge loss,” the owner of a gold shop in District 1 said.

Whopping profits

In response to the market concern, Saigon Jewelry Co said the root of the problem stems from the fact that domestic gold prices are still VND2 – 3 million higher than their global counterparts.

“With such a huge price difference, gold smugglers are willing to spend millions of US dollars investing in machinery to create fake SJC gold bars, as they will soon recoup the investment,” a company chief official who requested anonymity told Tuoi Tre.

Experts also said narrowing the price gap is the only solution to the issue.

“Successfully producing a fake SJC gold bullion will bring in a VND3 million profit to the producer, and with 1,000 bars sold, the figure is an enormous VND3 billion ($143,888),” a CEO of a gold company, who preferred to be anonymous, revealed.

2013 New Century Snake Dance China Coin / Medal

Introducing the 2013 New Century Snake Dance China Commemorative Coin / Medal

 

 The Design: Tong Youming
Diameter: 120mm, 

Material and Colour: Yellow Copper
Quantity: 800 only
Positive Figure: Snake Dance Money Maps and topic text
Back the Figure: Ganzhi Snake Fig.
Casting: Shanghai New Century

  

 

A Rare Chinese Coin: the Fengtien Silver Dollar

Created in 1897 at the instigation of the General Iktangga (依克唐阿), governor of the Fengtien province, the bureau was destined to modernize the provincial coinage. An early set of dies was commissionned from the Anqing (安庆) mint in Anhwei (安徽), and German-made steam-powered machinery were brought from Tianjin.

The early test issues using the An Hui dies were denominated in maces and candareens, and were designed after the Kwantung dollar. With the success of the Peiyang arsenal dollars, subsequent issues were however redesigned and the first emission meant for circulation in 1898 features a reverse bearing the characteristic circular manchu writings in the style of the contemporary Beiyang coins. 

The last emission, in 1899, has a very similar design. As far as I know, three dies were used for the 25th year of Guang Xu series. The coin I bought is of the first type, as seen below:

Fengtien dollar - single ring (单圈版) with error in FUNG

Fengtien dollar (obverse)

The first set of die used has a single dotted ring around the denomination on the reverse (单圈版 in Chinese). The reverse has an obvious error in the typography of the province name, with a huge empty space between the F and U of FUNG TIEN. The strike is also noticeably weak from the G to the T.

On the obverse, this die is very different from the subsequent ones. The dragon face is beautiful, with some relief on the sides of the dragon nose and a large, “smiling” mouth. The fireball at the center is ornamented with a wide, incomplete spiral probably resulting from a weak strike.

The second strike features a new dragon design; the reverse issues were also partially fixed:

 Fengtien dollar - single ring (单圈版)

The province name on the reverse is now correctly typographied, but the strike is still weak on the area from the G to the T. The new dragon design is very different from the previous issue, with a flatter face and a thinner mouth. The spiral on the fireball is complete this time, running all the way to the center.

Fengtien Dollar - double circle (双圈版)

The last emission tries again to correct the problems of the reverse, keeping the new dragon design.

As seen here, the G and T are indeed slightly stronger, but the end of “TIEN” is weaker, while it was crisp in the previous strikes… It seems that like the Kiangnan mint, the early Shenyang mint had troubles with the die adjustement and thus produced weakly struck coins.

A solid circle was added around the denomination, inside the inner dotted circle.

This strike is known as the “Linear circle within dotted circle” die, or 双圈版 in Chinese.

Fengtien dollar - linear circle within dotted circle (双圈版)

After this third strike, the mint machinery was seized by the tsarist Russian army and the Shenyang machine bureau was burned down… The province of Fengtien (nowadays Liao Ning) was indeed going through dark times. Already the theater of the first Sino-Japanese war in 1895, it was then the scene of the conflict between the Russians controlling the leased territory of Liao Tung, and the Japanese army, leading to the Russo-Japanese war. The mint at the Shenyang machine bureau was briefly brought back online in 1903 after years of reconstruction slowed down by the Boxer rebellion.

Eventually, the province fell under Japanese control, later becoming part of the Manchukuo puppet state. The Japanese army and investors continued to develop heavy industries in the region, furthering the move toward automatization that had begun in 1897 with the creation of the Fengtien machine bureau.

See original source for more information

Dragons of Legend - Special Edition 2012 5oz Chinese Dragon Coin - Australia Silver Perth Mint

Dragons of Legend - Special Edition 2012 5oz Chinese Dragon Coin

Featuring:

• Proof Quality 99.9% Pure Silver
• Spectacular Coloured Reverse Design
• Strictly Limited Mintage – 1,000
• Illustrated Presentation Packaging

A magnificent airborne creature of the reptile kingdom, the Chinese Dragon rules over the elements of air and water.  Struck by The Perth Mint from a hefty 5oz of pure silver, the coin’s dragon emblem is believed to bring power, prosperity and good luck.

For those born in the dragon year, the year 2012 celebrates the qualities of this fantastic beast.   Other year dates of people ruled by this ancient lunar sign include 1916, 1928, 1940, 1952, 1964, 1976, 1988 and 2000.

Proof Quality 99.9% Pure Silver

The coin is struck by The Perth Mint on behalf of Coin Club Australia from 5oz of 99.9% pure silver in proof quality.

Spectacular Coloured Reverse Design

The coin’s reverse depicts two spectacular coloured dragons with a representation of a pearl, signifying eternal wisdom.  The design also includes a fish motif, representing abundance and harmony.

Strictly Limited Mintage

No more than 1,000 of these coins will be available.

Tuvalu Legal Tender

Issued as Tuvalu legal tender, the coin’s obverse depicts the Ian Rank-Broadley effigy of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, the year-date and the monetary denomination.

Illustrated Presentation Packaging

This coin is housed in a black presentation case and illustrated shipper accompanied by a numbered Certificate of Authenticity.

Technical Specifications

Silver Content (Troy oz)	5
Monetary Denomination (TVD)	5
Fineness (% purity)	99.9
Minimum Gross Weight (g)	155.673
Maximum Diameter (mm)	65.60
Maximum Thickness (mm)	5.80

China Kirin Dated 10th Yr Kuand Hsu (1885) 1 Tael - Silver Coin Very Rare

China Kirin Dated 10th Yr Kuand Hsu (1885) 1 Tael - Extremely Rare with Full Detail & Gold Gilding

$5000 + US$

Empire of Silver - New China Movie about Silver and Paper Money

THERE'S scope for an intriguing film about China at the end of the 19th century from the perspective of one of the nation's leading banks.

But in the hands of first-time Taiwanese-American director Christina Yao, this sluggish, uninvolving soap opera hardly resonates with the present as it ought to.

With the Chinese economy in tumult, the pragmatic banker Master Kang (Zhang Tielin) is bent on preserving his family's financial empire.

There is no love lost between him and his heir apparent, Third Master (Aaron Kwok), given Third Master's passion for the woman (Hao Lei) who becomes Kang's second wife.

There's a great deal more to the story: the fate of Third Master's three brothers, the change to ''paper money'' in place of silver, and a random attack by digitally generated wolves. Other subplots are introduced, then dropped: it's hard to account for the fleeting presence of Jennifer Tilly as a missionary, unless this is supposed to make the film more marketable in the US. Ultimately, the clash between father and son is resolved in an unsatisfying, evasive manner that virtually erases much of what has gone before.

The film depends heavily throughout on voiceover narration by a later member of the dynasty, who seems mysteriously well-informed about events that occurred before he was born. As a result, there is rarely much suspense or narrative momentum.

Nor does Yao overcome a blandly decorative style, in which the camera rises and falls with stately regularity and most interiors are bathed in golden light.

(M) Cinema Nova (113 minutes)

Read more

CHINESE ASTROLOGICAL SERIES 2012 YEAR OF THE DRAGON GOLD COIN 'PROSPERITY' Perth Mint Australia Gold

• Proof Quality 1/5oz 99.99% Pure Gold
• Year of the Dragon Design
• Chinese Character for 'Prosperity'
• Issued as Legal Tender
• Presentation Case
• Numbered Certificate of Authenticity

Celebrating the Year of the Dragon, the birth dates for people ruled by this Chinese Lunar sign include 1916, 1928, 1940, 1952, 1964, 1976, 1988, 2000 and 2012. Those born under the influence of this sign are said to be confident, enterprising, independent, self-assured, brave, and passionate.

Proof Quality 99.99% Pure Gold

Celebrating the 2012 Year of the Dragon, this coin is struck by The Perth Mint from 1/5oz of 99.99% pure gold in proof quality.

Year of the Dragon Design

The reverse design depicts a dragon holding a pearl marked with the Chinese character for prosperity – Fu.

Issued as Legal Tender

Issued as legal tender under the authority of the Government of Tuvalu, the obverse of the coin bears the Ian Rank-Broadley effigy of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II and the 2012 year-date.

Limited Mintage

No more than 2,000 of these coins will be released individually.

Presentation Case

Each coin is housed in a presentation case featuring a timber lid and a stylised shipper accompanied by a numbered Certificate of Authenticity.
CHINESE ASTROLOGICAL SERIES 2012 YEAR OF THE DRAGON GOLD COIN 'PROSPERITY' Perth Mint Australia Gold