More than 300 NGC-certified World Rarities Featured in Hong Kong Auction

A rare silver dollar from the Qing dynasty certified by Numismatic Guaranty Company™ (NGC®) is among the more than 300 vintage coins being offered in an upcoming sale in Hong Kong. Online bidding is already underway for the Spink Numismatic Collectors’ Series Sale, which will take place in four parts (Part A, Part B, Part C and Part D) being held September 24-27, 2021.

A silver coin from the first year of production at the newly formed Nanking Mint in Kiangnan Province, China, is among the featured NGC-certified coins in the sale. It comes from a series of coins known as “Cyclical Date Dollars” because the reverses feature the date in the 60-year Chinese calendar. This Kiangnan 1898 Silver Dollar graded NGC MS 61 (Part A, lot 439) has an estimate of HK$210,000 to HK$350,000 (about $27,000 to $45,000 USD).

China 1898 Kiangnan Silver Dollar graded NGC MS 61 Click images to enlarge.

Struck in 1898, or the year of Earth and Dog on the Chinese calendar, the coin’s obverse features a dragon with a large head and the legends, in English, “KIANG NAN PROVINCE” and “7 MACE and 2 CANDAREENS.” The reverse displays the characters at 3 o’clock and 9 o’clock representing the year of the coin’s mintage (Earth and Dog).

Also featured in the sale is a rarity that was originally struck as part of a proposed coinage reform based upon a traditional Chinese weight standard, rather than the Dollar system. About 648,000 Hupeh Taels were minted, but few survived because the general public found it difficult to convert two distinctly different coinage systems, especially when making change. This China 1904 Hupeh Large Characters Tael graded NGC AU 50 (Part A, lot 431) has an estimate of HK$150,000 to HK$300,000 (about $19,300 to $39,000 USD).

China 1904 Hupeh Large Characters Tael graded NGC AU 50 Click images to enlarge.

The obverse of this Hupeh Tael features two dragons, both flying toward a flaming pearl between them with the legend “ONE TAEL” in large Chinese characters between them. The Large Character variety of the Hupeh Tael is considered the rarer of the two varieties produced in 1904.

Other NGC-certified Chinese rarities in the sale include:

• a China Year 3 (1911) No Period Silver Dollar graded NGC MS 61 (Part A, lot 393) with an estimate of HK$140,000 to HK$180,000 (about $18,000 to $23,000 USD)
• a China 1996 Gold 500 Yuan - Transition & Prosperity Hong Kong Series II graded NGC PF 69 Ultra Cameo (Part A, lot 853A) with an estimate of HK$80,000 to HK$160,000 (about $10,000 to $20,000 USD)
• a China 1908 Silver Dollar graded NGC AU 58 (Part A, lot 384) with an estimate of HK$80,000 to HK$120,000 (about $10,000 to $15,000 USD)
• a China (1909-11) Hupeh Dollar graded NGC MS 61 (Part A, lot 430) with an estimate of HK$60,000 to HK$90,000 (about $8,000 to $12,000 USD)
• a China, Hong Kong 1866 Half Dollar graded NGC AU 58 (Part B, lot 1180) with an estimate of HK$55,000 to HK$80,000 (about $7,000 to $10,000 USD)
• a China, Tibet (1904-12) Quarter Rupee (Part A, lot 777) graded NGC AU 53 with an estimate of HK$50,000 to HK$80,000 (about $6,000 to $10,000 USD)
• a China, Hong Kong 1866 Half Dollar graded NGC UNC Details (Part B, lot 1181) with an estimate of HK$50,000 to HK$80,000 (about $6,000 to $10,000 USD)
• a China, Hong Kong 1888 20 Cents graded NGC MS 62 (Part B, lot 1176) with an estimate of HK$25,000 to HK$35,000 (about $3,000 to $4,500 USD)
• a China (1901-08) Szechuan Silver Dollar graded NGC AU Details (Part A, lot 518) with an estimate of HK$10,000 to HK$30,000 (about $1,300 to $3,900 USD).
• a China Year 10 (1921) Military Issue Silver Dollar graded NGC UNC Details (Part D, lot 4969) with an estimate of HK$5,000 to HK$15,000 (about $650 to $2,000 USD)

All estimates are provided by the auction house.