Chinese Rarities in the Focus at Heritage’s HKINF Auction

One of the strongest and most comprehensive selections of Asian and related numismatics ever assembled will reach the collecting public when it is offered in Heritage’s HKINF World Coins Platinum Session and Signature® Auction December 9-11.

“This auction includes exceptional high-grade rarities from Ancient China, and the Qing, Republic and People’s Republic eras,” says Cris Bierrenbach, Executive Vice President of International Numismatics at Heritage Auctions. “The desire for vintage and modern rarities has never been this high, and this event reaffirms Heritage’s position as the world’s leading auction destination for elite world coins.”

The auction includes the Treasures from the W&L Collection, from which the most prominent selections are various Wen Zong denominations and mints, including Mother, Trial and Pattern Types. Some of the top Wen Zong lots include, but are not limited to:

• A Qing Dynasty. Wen Zong (Xian Feng) Trial Piece 20 Cash ND (1853-1855) Certified 80 by Gong Bo Grading that is exceedingly rare as a Trial and distinctly different than Patterns and Mother types, precious few of which have come to market in recent decades.
• A high-grade Qing Dynasty. Wen Zong (Xian Feng) 1000 Cash ND (March-August 1854) Certified 88 by Gong Bo Grading, which is among the finest to come to auction.
• A Qing Dynasty. Wen Zong (Xian Feng) 100 Cash ND (1853-1855) Certified 80 by Gong Bo Grading, a monumental survivor that is the largest of this scarce series.

Sycee specialists will be drawn to a number of intriguing lots, including:

• A rare, Unidentified Fangbao (“Square”) Sycee of 10 Taels ND Certified MS62 by Gong Bo Grading that is an unusual but highly auspicious type and the largest of these handled at Heritage Auctions; they usually are encountered in 1 and 5 Tael sizes.

• A Substantial Jin Dynasty 49-1/4 Tael Sycee that can be a prize in any collection, especially those assembled by dynasty. This magnificent offering includes four stamps, reading “Wang De Bin Liu Zi Yan” (Officers’ names: Wang De Bin and Liu Ziyan) upper right, “Si Shi Jin Liang You Er Fen Ban” (Forty Nine Tael and Quarter) lower right, “Song You Qian Ren Mao Shi Xing Ren” (Offers’ names: Song You Qian and Ren Mao Shi) upper left and “Ku Cheng” (Weighing Scales) lower left.
• An Anhui Erqibao Sycee of 50 Taels that is an absolute rarity, as any issue of Anhui origin is considered a highlight and/or trophy of numismatic and historical collections.

The auction includes an impressive selection of seven Kiangnan dollars, among them:

• An extraordinary Kuang-hsü Dollar CD 1900 MS65 PCGS, a show-stopping example of a type rarely encountered in straight grades, let alone in Mint State certifications. A survey of the conditional censuses reveals only two specimens out of more than 750 at the Gem level, the example offered here and an unimaginable MS66+. An MS63 was the finest to come to market in the last two decades, which helps to explain the soaring demand for this nearly-pristine offering.
• A Choice Mint State 1897 Kiangnan Dollar, from the J.R.S. Affra Collection, features an intricate dragon design that is a symbol of power, luck and prosperity. The offered example carries the second-highest grade designation on the PCGS census.

Also among the top attractions in the event is a Hsüan-t’ung silver Specimen Pattern “Long-Whiskered Dragon” Dollar Year 3 (1911) SP64+ NGC that is among the finest Pattern Long-Whiskered Dragon Dollars extant. This beauty is a numismatic marvel, often driving entire auctions and spurring collectors into a frenzy, and the finest ever offered by the world’s leading numismatic auctioneer. Only one other of this variety has certified finer than the offered example, which is the finest to come to market in more than two decades.

A Republic Yuan Shih-kai silver Pattern Dollar Year 3 (1914) MS64 NGC, Tientsin mint, KM-Pn32, L&M-72, Kann-643, WS-0166, Wenchao-858 (rarity 3 stars), from the Rulin Wei Collection, carries the second-highest grade of all examples submitted to NGC and PCGS. NGC designates all examples as Mint State, while PCGS has called them Pattern issues as Specimens.

A gorgeous “Dragon & Phoenix” 10 Dollars is a magnificent example of the very rare Pattern issue by the colorful warlord Zhang Zongchang, and likely required a series of quite unlikely events to allow this specimen to remain in such its Gem state of preservation, as Zhang’s brief era of reign over his native Shandong was tumultuous. The previous Gem Mint State coin offered at Heritage Auctions was an MS65 NGC that sold in 2014 for $94,000. The example offered in this auction is a MS65+ NGC – the highest awarded grade across PCGS and NGC.

A Republic Chu Yu-pu Pattern Medallic Dollar ND (1927) MS63 NGC, L&M-962, Kann-690, WS-0125 is one of just 22 specimens that have been submitted to the major grading services and only make it to auction every few years. This example is the first ever offered through Heritage Auctions.

Highlights from other countries include, but are not limited to:

• A Rama V (Chulalongkorn) 6-Piece Uncertified “Bullet” Presentation Set CS 1242 (1880) UNC, struck in commemoration of Chulalongkorn reaching the same age as his mother, Deb Sirindhra, when she died at 28, is arguably the most famous and coveted sets in all of Thai numismatics. As the first dated silver “coins” of Thailand, the historical significance of the set can not be overstated: the offered set is one of three intact sets, out of an estimated population of just eight sets, to reach the auction market. The set includes two of some of Thailand’s largest pieces of bullet money: the Chang (80 Baht) and 1/2 Chang (40 Baht). This is the first time Heritage has offered anything larger than a 1/4 Chang (20 Baht) from this series.
• A Victoria gold Proof “Una and the Lion” 5 Pounds 1839 PR62 Ultra Cameo NGC is an iconic and enormously popular treasure of British numismatics that was struck in the early years of Queen Victoria’s reign. This prized design is an unrivaled 19th century example of mastery by Royal Mint Chief Engraver William Wyon.
• Another design by William Wyon can be found on the George III silver Proof Pattern “Three Graces” Crown 1817 PR63+ NGC, one of the most popular and illustrious types in the British series. Of an estimated 50 produced “Three Graces” Patterns this example ranks among the most finest specimens extant. The “Three Graces” is is considered the pinnacle of numistmatic artistry under George III, and marked the arrival of William Wyon as a tour-de-force at the Royal Mint.