Stack’s Bowers and
Ponterio brought their semi-annual World Paper Money sale to the Mira Hotel
where it attracted spirited bidding from all over the world. This was a very
successful Hong Kong offering of banknotes, indicating that the market is on
the rise, with many coins and notes exceeding high estimate, and bringing
record prices. All prices listed include the buyer’s premium.
Session A started with a
bang as the opening lot, a mid-grade condition Ming Dynasty 1 Kuan, realized
above the high estimate. A few lots later, a 1912 Provisional One Dollar Bank
of China note realized $27,485! Offered for the first time by Stack’s
Bowers, the note was just one of the many notes that debuted and exceeded
expectations.
A strong showing for
group lots illustrated Stack’s Bowers’ skill at combining raw or graded notes
to create starter sets or great groupings for dealers to purchase for
inventory. Lot 70188, a group of 1000 Yuan PRC banknotes, sold for $80,652.50,
well over the estimate of $40,000 to $60,000.
Highlights of the sale
followed shortly, with the 1951 portion of the Peoples Republic section. The
500 Yuan in Lot 70200 sold for an astonishing $113,525. Another six-figure
price was realized in Lot 70302, where $119,500 was paid for a 5 Yen from the
Bank of Taiwan. In Lot 70560 Stack’s Bowers offered for the first time a
stunning Straits Settlements 100 Dollar 1927 note that brought $38,240.
The most significant note
sold in the Stack’s Bowers and Ponterio April sale set a record for a single
note sold at a public auction in Hong Kong. Lot 70204, a 10,000 Yuan realized
an astonishing $358,500!
The firm’s offering of
the Tibet Collection of Alexander Lissanevitch garnered attention worldwide,
and brought multiple record prices for the notes, many of which had not been
offered in years. Kicking off the collection was a Pick 2 Printing Plate in Lot
70572 that brought $11,950. Shortly after in Lot 70590 was a 10 Tam with
outstanding impressions that sold for $10,157.50! Another Printing Plate in Lot
70637 realized $10,755. Overall the collection
brought above the high estimate on many of the lots; all the notes in single
lots certified by PCGS Currency brought exceptional results.
