1911 “Long-Whiskered Dragon” Tops Heritage’s HKINF Auction

A Hsüan-t’ung silver Specimen Pattern “Long-Whiskered Dragon” Dollar Year 3 (1911) SP64+ NGC sold for $630,000 to lead Heritage’s HKINF World Coins Platinum Session and Signature® Auction to $8,685,913 December 9-11.

Among the finest Pattern Long-Whiskered Dragon Dollars extant, it is the finest example ever offered through Heritage Auctions, the world’s leading numismatic auctioneer.

“This is an extraordinary coin, and one which has not come to auction in decades,” says Cris Bierrenbach, Executive Vice President of International Numismatics at Heritage Auctions. “The demand for high-grade Asian coins has never been higher, and it is coins like this magnificent piece that are leading the way.”

More than two dozen bids poured in for a Republic Chu Yu-pu Specimen Pattern Medallic Dollar ND (1927) SP61 PCGS, L&M-962, Kann-690, WS-0125 before it sold for $528,000. From the Ta Han Collection, this beauty is the second of two of these amazing Medallic Pattern Dollar types in the auction – a rare occurrence for coins of this caliber.

The third coin in the auction to bring more than $500,000 was a Choice Mint State Kiangnan Dragon Dollar that ended at $504,000. As a cornerstone artifact in Kiangnan’s numismatic legacy, this elusive example, from the J.R. S. Affra Collection, carries the second-highest grade designation on the PCGS census, creating a stunning combination of rarity, beauty and prestige.

A Republic Sun Yat-sen silver Specimen Italian Pattern “Junk” Dollar Year 18 (1929)-R SP62 PCGS may be from the scarcest example from this highly contested Pattern series, but bidders chased it until it found a new home at $312,000. Also from the Ta Han Collection, it is a coveted Italian concept of Attilio Motti, one of Europe’s most prominent 20th century engravers, whose skilled hand clearly crafted the sensitively rendered portrait and “Junk” that are eponymous for the type. Examples are exceedingly rare, reaching the open market only once every few years.

An exceptional Kuang-hsü Dollar CD 1900 MS65 PCGS drew a winning bid of $288,000. Few, if any, examples can claim to match the level of aesthetic and conditional quality seen in this example. There are just two specimens out of more than 750 – this example and an unimaginable MS66+ – graded at the Gem level.

A Victoria gold Proof “Una and the Lion” 5 Pounds 1839 PR62 Ultra Cameo NGC closed at $276,000. An iconic and enormously popular treasure of British numismatics, it 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.

Other top lots included, but were not limited to:

• A Rama V (Chulalongkorn) 6-Piece Uncertified “Bullet” Presentation Set CS 1242 (1880) UNC: $264,000
• A Republic Yuan Shih-kai silver Pattern Dollar Year 3 (1914) MS64 NGC: $234,000
• A Shantung. Republic gold Pattern “Dragon & Phoenix” 10 Dollars Year 15 (1926) MS65+ NGC: $216,000
• A Kuang-hsü gold Pattern Kuping Tael (Liang) 1907 MS61 NGC: $216,000