Shiro.... TDN.... anyone....

ClarkOfKent

I'm going to Beijing next month. Is there anything, numismatically speaking, that I should keep my eyes open for over there?
Do you know anything about the chances of finding any trade dollars.... I was thinking of trying to find some coin shops while I'm there.
Or, do you think all the good finds have long ago been sucked out of that continent?
Or, should I just spend my money on hoo... I mean, souvenirs?

LucyBop

Can I come with you????????

mbbiker

keep an eye out for hollowed out coins i've seen quite a few come from there. Also you could buy a bunch of fake trade dollars for about 10 bucks each.

coinguy1

Clark, in all seriousness, watch out for counterfeits!

CLASSICS

have an egg-roll instead

EVillageProwler

Counterfeit TD's abound over there. Gerry Fortin just returned from Shanghai with samples of them. A recent coin show in HK also brought out huge amounts of TD's. Beijing won't be any different.

The Chinese tend not to be numismatically oriented. What coins they like are generally like the American AGE bullion specimens -- those Pandas...

When I was in Cambodia, I went to a outdoors market in Siem Reap. That market had a small coin dealer. Well, not really. The guy just had some coins in a jar, and I happened to notice. I basically bought everything that seemed genuine to me. Very cheap.

EVP

shirohniichan

I'll chime in with another warning about counterfeits-- they abound there in all denominations! You may pick up some good counterfeits for educational purposes, but don't pay too much for them. $10 each sounds about right for good counterfeits. I wouldn't even bother with the crudely cast kind.

DesertLizard

You can find a few dealers in Shanghai. ABout 8 blocks west of the Shanghai Hilton is a small street I called "collector row" as there were shops selling all kinds of collectibles from animals and furniture to coins and stamps. Back in 1999 there were about 5 coin shops there selling mostly Asian coins and bullion. The US stuff was mostly common junk [remember they also have coin guide books in Asia!]. Lots of old gold in bar and coin but I cannot tell the real from the fake so I did not buy. I just got a Chinese proof set as a souvenir.

BTW, Shanghai is the "cultural capitol" and Beijing tends to be the "capitalist capitol". Two very very different experiences, I prefer the former. Also be careful what you eat! I got a nasty intestinal critter on my last trip, was ill for about 3 weeks.

ClarkOfKent

Since I don't trust my ability to detect a counterfeit, I think I'll not go coin crazy while over there.

Lucy, you can go if you can convince my boss that you'd be a valuable member of the team. So.... what do you know about diesel emissions testing on a chassis dynamometer?

LucyBop

<< <i>what do you know about diesel emissions testing on a chassis dynamometer? >>



Oh, I'll convince him, we'll simply discuss how many parts per million of emission is allowable and also look at current Osha standards and if we fall out of any specified parameters then we'll discuss and fixes or tweaks within the system..... (What did I just say?)

ClarkOfKent

Lucy,

You flunked the test. Diesel emissions are measured in opacity, not ppm.

LucyBop

Rats, then I won't be able to fool the boss, I'll have to simply rely on my charm instead?