Taisei Offers Very Rare Chinese Coin from Kann Collection

One of the most famous and sought-after coins in Chinese numismatics is among over 150 rarities certified by Numismatic Guaranty Company® (NGC®) that are being offered in an upcoming sale in Japan. Bidding is already underway for the annual Taisei Auction 2023 sale, which will be held June 3, 2023.

The top lot in the auction is a China (1932) Plain Edge Pattern Silver Dollar graded NGC MS 60 (lot 316), with a starting price of ¥15,000,000 (about $111,750). Characters on the coin link it to Gold Standard experimental coinage that was never issued. According to the auction house, this is one of only about 10 examples known to exist.

China (1932) Plain Edge Pattern Silver Dollar graded NGC MS 60. Click images to enlarge.

Pedigreed to the prestigious Kann Collection, the coin features the bust of Sun Yat-sen, who was instrumental in overthrowing the Qing Dynasty in the early 1910s. A junk ship on the reverse gives the coin its nickname, "Junk Dollar."

Other NGC-certified highlights in the sale include:

• a Japan (1871) 10 Yen with Border graded NGC AU Details (lot 42), with a starting price of ¥400,000 (about $3,000)
• a Japan (1871) 10 Yen with Border graded NGC AU Details (lot 43), with a starting price of ¥400,000 (about $3,000)
• a Japan (1871) 5 Yen graded NGC UNC Details (lot 46), with a starting price of ¥280,000 (about $2,100)
• a Japan (1870) 2 Yen graded NGC MS 66 (lot 48), with a starting price of ¥110,000 (about $800)
• a China 1906 Kiangsu Brass 2 Cash graded NGC AU 58 (lot 277), with a starting price of ¥100,000 (about $750)
• a China (1920) Silver Dollar graded NGC MS 62 (lot 310), with a starting price of ¥50,000 (about $375)

Starting prices are provided by the auction house. The $ symbol represents US Dollars.