A news by Star newspaper today show that even a famous Heritage Gallery in Sarawak cannot detect 100 years fake China coins in their gallery. Ten silver antique coins, which were among the prized exhibits at the World Fuzhou Heritage Gallery in Sibu, Sarawak, have been found to be fakes. What was thought to be coins from China about 100 years ago, were actually made in Thailand for 60 sen each and sold for S$30. The discovery was made by Phillumenic Society Asia president Wong Hon Sum when he visited the gallery a few days ago. The coins, which were donated by a collector, have been on display since the opening of the gallery in 2005.
Picture by Star News: The two coins on the left are genuine, four are fake.
Disappointed by what he saw, Wong decided to donate two original coins to the centre. The coins were received by the gallery’s officer in charge Teng Wang Chiew yesterday. The two genuine coins (one of them embossed with a dragon and the other, the picture of Emperor Si Huang Di of Qing Dynasty) were produced in 1912. Each coin has a market value of between S$500 and S$600 today. Wong, who has been an avid collector of old currencies since he was 10 years old, said he knew the coins were counterfeit by their rough surface and the poor embossing. He added that they were also not of the same size and were not flat compared to the real ones.
“This is because the real one was embossed with a 180-tonne weight compared to just 10-tonne for the counterfeit. The lines and dots on the counterfeit are uneven. The legal one is also heavier,” said Wong, promising to donate more of the currency from his collection.
Picture by Star News: Statue of Wong Nai Siong.
World Fuzhou Heritage Gallery located at Jalan Salim, about 10 minutes drive from the Sibu town centre, the gallery, said to be the world’s biggest for the Foochow community, boasts of over 600 exhibits. Many of the items exhibited are over 100 years old. The exhibited items at the gallery are closely related to the early Foochow settlement’s history and the community’s unique quality of perseverance and courage. The centre has five display sections namely; The pioneers and the settlements, Tradition and culture of the people, 100 turbulent years, and The innovative Foochow and their valuables. When the early Chinese settlers led by the founder of Sibu, the late Wong Nai Siong came in 1901, they brought with them many cultural artifacts. Some of these include straw rain coat, pestle and mortar, rice barrel, steam rice tub, iron kettle, abacus, phonograph, and an iron briefcase.
Picture by Star News: A photo section in the gallery.
The Fuzhow clan organisation helped to preserve the Foochow culture. It was for this reason that the World Federation of Foochow Associations Limited decided to site their association’s permanent premise within the “Sibu Foochow Settlement Centenary Memorial Building” which houses the gallery. The centre is a place for Foochow descendants to recognise and identify with their own culture. History and culture are designated as the two main themes of the centre in remembrance of their rough pioneering encounter and also their contributions to the town. The gallery measuring 3,000 square ft was not only the biggest of its kind in the world in terms of the number of exhibits for the Foochow but it also has the oldest exhibits when compared with their counterparts in China. This was because most of the old items in China were destroyed by the communist government.
Source: The Star News
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“This is because the real one was embossed with a 180-tonne weight compared to just 10-tonne for the counterfeit. The lines and dots on the counterfeit are uneven. The legal one is also heavier,” said Wong, promising to donate more of the currency from his collection.
Picture by Star News: Statue of Wong Nai Siong.World Fuzhou Heritage Gallery located at Jalan Salim, about 10 minutes drive from the Sibu town centre, the gallery, said to be the world’s biggest for the Foochow community, boasts of over 600 exhibits. Many of the items exhibited are over 100 years old. The exhibited items at the gallery are closely related to the early Foochow settlement’s history and the community’s unique quality of perseverance and courage. The centre has five display sections namely; The pioneers and the settlements, Tradition and culture of the people, 100 turbulent years, and The innovative Foochow and their valuables. When the early Chinese settlers led by the founder of Sibu, the late Wong Nai Siong came in 1901, they brought with them many cultural artifacts. Some of these include straw rain coat, pestle and mortar, rice barrel, steam rice tub, iron kettle, abacus, phonograph, and an iron briefcase.
Picture by Star News: A photo section in the gallery.The Fuzhow clan organisation helped to preserve the Foochow culture. It was for this reason that the World Federation of Foochow Associations Limited decided to site their association’s permanent premise within the “Sibu Foochow Settlement Centenary Memorial Building” which houses the gallery. The centre is a place for Foochow descendants to recognise and identify with their own culture. History and culture are designated as the two main themes of the centre in remembrance of their rough pioneering encounter and also their contributions to the town. The gallery measuring 3,000 square ft was not only the biggest of its kind in the world in terms of the number of exhibits for the Foochow but it also has the oldest exhibits when compared with their counterparts in China. This was because most of the old items in China were destroyed by the communist government.
Source: The Star News
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