Detecting Fake Chinese Banknotes

In the quest to obtain a complete collection of Chinese paper money, I came across fake or counterfeit banknotes. Many modern fakes of current banknotes are fairly easy to detect, but some of the older currencies are more difficult to detect. That is because older banknotes lack anti-counterfeit devices that are standard in current banknotes. To show an example... a banknote dealer on ebay sold me some Chinese bankotes and tried to pass it off as real. After I received and compared them to real versions, I knew they were fakes. To illustrate an example, look at the picture here:

FAKE: First Series Peoples Republic of China banknote.

REAL: First Series Peoples Republic of China banknote.

Upon initial examination they look pretty much the same. But when examined under magnification of the details, you can easily see the differences. See below.

FAKE Front

Real Front

FAKE Back

Real Back

If you look at the details inside the red circles and compare the two banknotes, you can easily spot the fake one. There are more details, but those highlighted in red above are the more obvious. Under magnification, the lines of the real banknote and the fake banknote have different thicknesses, and minor details are missing in the fake version (for example, at the base of the rightmost pole on the ship is missing a person in the fake banknote). Fake banknotes like this one are easily detected when compared to a real one. I hope this helps people with understanding some techniques in spotting fake banknotes.

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