Talking about the collecting of Chinese ancient coins
The strange and wonderful Chinese ancient coins vary in shapes and colors that from ancient times have created an immense interest for people to collect, attracting the interest of countless hobbyists, collectors and researchers. According to historical records, coin collection was already around as early as the Southern dynasty more than 1,500 years ago.
As a nation, China has a long history, many ethnicities, a vast territory and political power. It has been through a long course of currency development and evolution, and each era has left a wealth of coins. The amount of varieties, shapes, large quantities and distribution is unprecedented in world history.
Coins can be considered as a reliable witness of the evolution of history. It provides a more intuitive yet objective record of one aspect of human civilization. It does not require difficult research to ascertain its period of existence, and to assess its historical, scientific and artistic value. The numismatic history of the text on these coins reveals a strong cultural atmosphere and artistic charm.
Generally speaking, the value of ancient coins is affected by, among other factors, its position in the history of currency, its survival in the world, i.e. how many remains, the environment for collection and its research value. Since the beginning of this century, the ancient coin 
market conditions have been steadily improving, especially in the mid to high-end segments where prices are being driven by great demand. By 2007, these segments have seen significant gains. Over time, the amount of ancient coins is decreasing, and therefore investment value is rising. Ten years ago, the Northern Song dynasty and Qing dynasty coins were worth only a few cents, while now they have risen more than 10 times and continues to rise. The value of the Wang Mang coin “Golden Cuo Knife” (one for 5000) was priced at 6,000 RMB a piece and in 2010, had shot up to 26,000 – 30,000 RMB. The increase in value of lower-end ancient coins has been less dramatic where the majority increase about only 20%. However, a few of them have double in value.
Counterfeits have existed in parallel with ancient coin collection. In order to ensure the quality of the collection, enjoy the coin collecting experience while minimizing the problem of forgeries, in addition to studying and acquiring the relevant historical knowledge, one not only needs to master methods of forgery detection, but also need to note the following aspects:
- A healthy mentality to be calm and quiet since excitement and sudden feelings of shock may relax vigilance while suppression may lead to opportunity loss. Never rush the process.
- Do not follow blindly or get influenced of others around. When viewing the coin, do it under sufficient natural light under a natural angle before making any decisions. Do not make any evaluation under dim environment or artificial lighting such as lamps.
- Observe repeatedly. Some high quality forgeries are difficult to distinguish and can easily lead to doubt regarding coin authenticity and consequently seriously interfere with one’s rational and logical thought process. Repeated viewing and re-viewing will help to clarify the doubt. Even a hint of doubt should be the veto to purchase, thereby reducing risk of forgery.
- Do not easily believe stories told by forgery sellers.
- Evaluate authenticity via the analysis of the price. Never assume that the forgery seller is unaware of coin pricing.
- Engage experts or fellow collectors for counsel as it can help increase knowledge, expand horizon and most importantly, avoid getting fooled.
