This preview for the Stack’s Bowers and Ponterio April Hong Kong Showcase
Auction features a coin that is both historically significant and in gorgeous
condition. This rare Dollar – struck in the 22nd year of Kuang Hsu (1896) – represents
the first year of issue for the Pei Yang Arsenal. During the mint’s first few
years of operations, coinage denominations were assigned using the decimal
system. It was not until the 25th year of Kuang Hsu (1899) that the mint would
designate the denomination based on the 7 Mace 2 Candareens system as used by
most mints. The Dollar offered here represents the largest denomination
produced by the mint at this time. According to contemporary Chinese customs
reports, the mintage for the 1896 Dollar was only 3,000 pieces. Due to its low
mintage and the early nature of its issue, very few examples have survived,
especially in nice condition. The original Pei Yang Arsenal mint was destroyed
in 1900 during the Boxer Rebellion only to be rebuilt later, eventually
becoming the Tientsin mint, which served as the main mint for all of China.
The obverse design is
dominated by a fearsome flying serpentine dragon, amidst wisps of clouds.
English legends surround the dragon, with “Twenty Second Year of Kuang Hsu”
above and “Pei Yang Arsenal” below, separated by five-pointed stars. The
reverse offers the Chinese and Manchu inscriptions, with the outer Chinese
legend stating: “Made in the Pei Yang Machinery Mint in the 22nd
Year of (Emperor) Kuang Hsu, (of the) Ta Ching dynasty.” The inner Manchu
legend offers the same translation. The central Chinese characters state: “One
Yuan” (One Dollar). The example presented here displays razor sharp strike
details and incredible multi-hued tone. Brilliant luster dominates this
magnificent example
While we are no longer accepting consignments for
our April Hong Kong Showcase Auction, we are accepting consignments of Chinese
and other Asian coins and currency for our August 2018 Hong Kong Showcase
Auction. In addition to this, we are taking consignments of world and ancient
coins as well as world paper money for our May 2018 Collector’s Choice Online
Auction and August 2018 ANA Auction. Time is running short, so if you are
interested in consigning your coins and paper currency (whether a whole
collection or a single rarity) be sure to contact one of our consignment
directors.
