Since 2018 and 2019, I have added these two Hong Kong 10 dollar coin to my collection, but in 2021, I noticed something on each coin. The left coin has smaller texts and bauhinia while the right coin is otherwise. Both of them have the same reedings. So, is the right coin a variation or counterfeit?
Ang numismatika ay libangan ng pag-aaral ng barya at perang papel.
Numismatics is the hobby on studying coins and banknotes
Numismatik adalah hiburan pelajaran uang logam dan uang kertas.
There is a serious difference indeed, I think it is a variety more than a counterfeit. Maybe mr Sjoelund can shine his light on this issue...:)?
I'm sorry! For sure, they are different, but only one find is not enough to declare counterfeit or variant. Tomorrow I'll have a look at mine. Which type do you have in your collections and doubles?
Mine is from 1995 and also resembles the picture on the left.
Apart from the 99 in the date, most notable is the difference in the Chinese characters. The ‘square’ character parts in 香 and 拾 have pointed corners on the left coin and rounded on the right one. The characters on the left coin are composed from strikes of variable thickness, while characters on the right coin are of the same thickness (check the tail of the 港). It looks like a difference of a ‘serif’ font (left) vs. a ‘sans-serif’ (right), although I don't know if that terminology is used for Chinese writing as well.
Although I found the suggestion of counterfeiting not very likely, initially, I would have put my money on the left one being the counterfeit candidate, as I find the one on the right of a better quality. But the left one seems to be the most common up to now. It increases my doubt that neither coin is a counterfeit. Interesting variation.
We need to find another “counterfeit” to declare it an eventual variant….
Thank you all for knowing the information about these two different coins!
Ang numismatika ay libangan ng pag-aaral ng barya at perang papel.
Numismatics is the hobby on studying coins and banknotes
Numismatik adalah hiburan pelajaran uang logam dan uang kertas.
10HKD is around 1.20Euro, so it's not impossible that the Chinese counterfeiters found it would be a good deal to make fake 10 HKD!
I've spent more than an hour looking for an image of the “counterfeit” coin on internet and I have found none. That's not proof of anything, so the posted question is still open.
By the looks of the coin on the right, it does look like a counterfeit. I have a few $10 and all are like the coin on the left. I also go to HK often and only ever got a counterfeit $2.
