China Kwangtung (Kwang-Tung) Double Dragon Longevity Tael and Half Tael (Fakes are possible) 1888 to 1908

These coins are called 'fantasy' because they were never actually produced by the Chinese government. There were plans to produce them, and (as I understand it) a few pattern coins were made, but full production never happened. The coins collected today fall into three categories:

(1) High-quality genuine coins produced (probably in England?) in the early 1900s
(2) Crude counterfeit coins produced today and sold to tourists and unwary collectors
(3) High quality counterfeits produced today for serious collectors

There are two denominations:

TAEL: about 39 mm diameter, genuine coins weigh about 36 grams
HALF TAEL: about 34 mm diameter, genuine coins weigh about 18 grams

The genuine coins are worth a ton of money. See our side-by-side comparison of high and low quality coins further down this page. The trouble is that the counterfeiters are getting better and better at producing high-quality coins. Do not buy one of these unless you absolutely trust the seller. Even slabbed Chinese coins are suspect, since the slabs themselves are being faked.

GENUINE HALF TAELS:
worn: $500 US dollars approximate catalog value
average circulated: $2500
well preserved: $4000
fully uncirculated: $6000

GENUINE TAELS:
worn: $1000 US dollars approximate catalog value
average circulated: $4000
well preserved: $7000
fully uncirculated: $12000

CRUDE COUNTERFEIT TAELS AND HALF TAELS:
worn: $1 US dollars approximate catalog value
average circulated: $3
well preserved: $6
fully uncirculated: $10

HIGH QUALITY COUNTERFEIT TAELS AND HALF TAELS:
worn: $3 US dollars approximate catalog value
average circulated: $25
well preserved: $75
fully uncirculated: $100

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