Chinese Old Coins Value — How to Tell What Yours Are Worth

If you have old Chinese coins and want to know what they are worth, this guide explains what drives their value and how to get a free appraisal. American Rarities has bought rare coins since 1990 and has purchased over $400 million in rare coins, including Chinese cash coins, silver dragon dollars and Republic-era dollars.

Demand for genuine Chinese coins is strong, from collectors in the U.S. and around the world. That demand is why authenticity matters so much: real pieces sell well, and counterfeits are common.

If you have coins from other countries too, see our sell foreign coins page for everything we buy.

Are Old Chinese Coins Valuable?

Many old Chinese coins are valuable, and some are very rare. Types that draw strong collector interest include:

Qing Dynasty large cash coins, such as the high-denomination 1000 Cash pieces of Emperor Xian Feng (1850s)
Silver dragon dollars from the provincial mints and the Tientsin Mint, including Pei Yang and Kirin issues
Pattern and trial pieces, such as the Hu Poo Tai Ching mace patterns
The 7 Mace 2 Candareens (dollar) of 1908
Republic of China dollars from 1912 and 1914, including the Fat Man and Memento dollars

If you don’t have any of these in your collection, don’t worry. We buy a wide variety of old Chinese coins. The main thing is they need to be rare, in demand, in good condition, and (most of all) authentic.

What Sets the Value of an Old Chinese Coin

Type and era: dynasty, province, mint and denomination
Rarity: how many were made and how many survive today
Condition: wear, cleaning, damage and original surfaces
Authenticity: genuine pieces carry the value; copies have little
Certification: coins graded by PCGS or NGC are easier to sell with confidence

Market value changes with collector demand, so the best way to know what your coins are worth is a free appraisal from an expert who sees these coins every week.

For an overview of every era, from spade and knife money to dragon dollars and Pandas, see Explore the Rich Legacy of Chinese Coins.

Always Paying More For Your Chinese Old Coins

We Offer Free Grading and Appraisals!

Old Chinese coins are very commonly counterfeited, so it’s important to have them authenticated and graded. This is hard to do properly without years of experience, so you don’t want to go to just anyone.

We’ve been grading and authenticating coins as a free service since 1990. Submit your coins to us and we’ll examine them. We’ll tell you whether or not they’re genuine and grade them on their condition.

After that, we can then appraise them for their liquid market value. As with the authentication and grading, this is also free of charge.

At no point during the authentication, grading, or appraisal do you have any commitment to sell to us, so feel free to use us as a resource if you want!

See our guide to Chinese rare coins and the counterfeits to watch for, also available in 简体中文 and 繁體中文.

How Do I Get Started?

Getting started is simple:

Send photos and a list. Text, email or use the form below to send pictures of your old Chinese coins, front and back.
Get a free appraisal and offer. Most offers are made within 24 hours, though some can take a week or more depending on the collection.
Get paid. If you accept, we pay immediately by cash, check, ACH or wire transfer.

We are NGC and PCGS authorized dealers and an ANACS submission center dealer, ANA Life Members and A+ rated with the BBB. No one pays you more for your Chinese coins. There is never an obligation to sell.

More world coin guides: foreign coins value, US and foreign rare coin values, foreign coin buyers, selling a foreign coin collection and sell foreign coins.