Author: By Stack’s Bowers Galleries / March 27, 2023

Continuing their long line of exciting and market-realigning sales, Stack’s Bowers & Ponterio is pleased to announce their April 2023 Hong Kong auction—a remarkable offering of nearly 8,700 lots of coins, medals, tokens, and currency. This majestic array will comprise 13 sessions spread across 10 days (from April 17^th-26^th HKT), and feature both live and internet-only venues. Among the largest sales that the firm has presented, this robust auction has a higher-end estimate expectation in excess of $19.55 million. If past results are any indication, the final realizations may well surpass that lofty sum.

Headlining the sale in the opening session on April 17^th is another installment in our series of highly successful and much anticipated Rarities Night offerings, full of the most desirable and impressive coins from the Chinese series. Particular standouts include the incredible “Reversed Dragon” Dollar of imperial China’s final emperor, a fabled and ever-popular “Bamboo” Dollar from Kweichow, an iconic Szechuan-Soviet “Hammer and Sickle” Dollar, a trio of immaculate and seldom-seen gold Patterns from Shantung, a high grade “Dragon in the Clouds” Dollar, a Choice “Old Kiangnan-style” Dragon Dollar, and a pair of issues from Yuan Shih-kai’s brief tenure as the Hung-Hsien Emperor—namely a Giorgi-signed Silver Dollar Pattern and a Superb Gem offering of the subsequent business strike.

Among the other offerings in the Stack’s Bowers & Ponterio Spring Hong Kong sale, it is impossible to miss the staggering number of rarities offered from the important Sigma Collection of Russian numismatic treasures. While a number of Silver Ruble Pattern Novodels of Czar Alexander I are included, two highlights are a “Long Neck” type (pedigreed to the Goodman Collection and a 1979 Christie’s sale), and an incredibly rare “Inner Rings” type with a modified portrait of the czar. Moving from Russia, the Korean series presents a number of great rarities, including a Tin Warn Pattern from the Gibbs & Colonel Green collections, a tremendously rare Warn that serves as a key world crown, and an impressive Mint State 5 Yang. Nearby Vietnam also presents impressive specimens, highlighted by the seemingly unrivaled Nguyen Dynasty Collection. With exceptional standouts such as a Gold 2 Tien, a “Virtue of Humanity” 9 Tien, and a “Five Bats” 5 Tien, all from the reign of Tu Duc, this will serve as a benchmark for Annamese rarities for years to come. Finally, other notable lots that offer presentation-level quality include a beautiful proof Hong Kong Dollar of Victoria and a unique “Flan Bruni” four-piece proof set struck at the 1900 Paris World’s Fair and pedigreed to the magnificent collection of Egypt’s King Farouk. These and other such treasures should generate tremendous enthusiasm when they cross the auction block.

An exciting presentation of World currency leads off with an early survivor from the Yuan Dynasty—a charming 2 Kuan that predates those from the Ming Dynasty by nearly a century. An early issue from the People’s Republic of China—a 10 Yuan from 1953—serves as a key to the series. From around the Far East theater, an unissued “Pinter’s Design” 1 Dollar features stunning color and an advanced state of preservation.

Other World Coin Highlights:

Ÿ Lot 40049: CHINA. Hupeh. Tael, Year 30 (1904). Wuchang Mint. Kuang-hsu (Guangxu). NGC MS-63.

Ÿ Lot 40050: CHINA. Hupeh. Tael, Year 30 (1904). Wuchang Mint. Kuang-hsu (Guangxu). NGC MS-63.

Ÿ Lot 40102: CHINA. Kweichow. Auto Dollar (7 Mace 2 Candareens), Year 17 (1928). NGC AU-55.

Ÿ Lot 40204: CHINA. Silver Dollar Pattern, Year 12 (1923). Tientsin Mint. PCGS MS-64.

Ÿ Lot 40221: CHINA. Silver Dollar Pattern, Year 18 (1929). Hangchow Mint. PCGS SPECIMEN-64.

Ÿ Lot 40222: CHINA. Silver Dollar Pattern, Year 18 (1929). Hangchow Mint. PCGS SPECIMEN-64.

Ÿ Lot 40253: CHINA. 1500 Yuan (20 Ounces), 1990. Dragon & Phoenix Series. NGC PROOF-69 Ultra Cameo.

Ÿ Lot 43316: GREAT BRITAIN. Victoria Diamond Jubilee “Large Size” Gold Medal, 1897. Victoria. NGC MS-64.

Ÿ Lot 43472: JAPAN. Oban, ND (ca. 1725-1837). Kyoho Era. PCGS Genuine–Cleaned, Unc Details.

Ÿ Lot 43479: JAPAN. Oban (10 Ryo), ND (1860-62). Man’en Era. PCGS Genuine–Unc Details, Re-Inked.

Ÿ Lot 44204: RUSSIA. Silver Ruble Novodel, 1807-CNB OT. St. Petersburg Mint. Alexander I. NGC SPECIMEN-63+ Cameo.

Ÿ Lot 44274: RUSSIA. Marriage of Alexander Nikolaevich and Maria Alexandrovna Gold Medallic Ruble, 1841-CNB. St. Petersburg Mint. PCGS SPECIMEN-60.

Other World Currency Highlights:

Ÿ Lot 30646: MALAYSIA. Lot of (2). Bank Negara Malaysia. 5 Ringgit, ND (1983-98). P-Unlisted. Printer’s Design. PMG Choice Uncirculated 63 Net & Gem Uncirculated 66 EPQ.

Ÿ Lot 30672: SINGAPORE. Board of Commissioners of Currency. 1 Dollar, ND (1967-72). P-1cts. Color Trial Specimen. PMG Gem Uncirculated 66 EPQ.

Ÿ Lot 30673: SINGAPORE. Board of Commissioners of Currency. 5 Dollars, ND (1967-73). P-2cts. Color Trial Specimen. PMG Superb Gem Uncirculated 67 EPQ.

Ÿ Lot 30708: VIETNAM, SOUTH. National Bank. 1000 Dong, ND (1956). P-4As. Specimen. PCGS Banknote Superb Gem Uncirculated 68 PPQ.

The entire Stack’s Bowers & Ponterio April 2023 Hong Kong Auction is available for viewing and bidding at StacksBowers.com. For more information email Info@StacksBowers.com or InfoHK@StacksBowers.com.

About Stack’s Bowers Galleries

Stack’s Bowers Galleries conducts live, Internet and specialized auctions of rare U.S. and world coins and currency and ancient coins, as well as direct sales through retail and wholesale channels. The company’s nearly 90-year legacy includes the cataloging and sale of many of the most valuable United States coin and currency collections to ever cross an auction block — The D. Brent Pogue Collection, The John J. Ford, Jr. Collection, The Louis E. Eliasberg, Sr. Collection, The Harry W. Bass, Jr. Collection, The Joel R. Anderson Collection, The Norweb Collection, The Cardinal Collection, The Sydney F. Martin Collection and The Battle Born Collection — to name just a few. World coin and currency collections include The Pinnacle Collection, The Louis E. Eliasberg, Sr. Collection of World Gold Coins, The Kroisos Collection, The Alicia and Sidney Belzberg Collection, The Salton Collection, The Wa She Wong Collection, and The Thos. H. Law Collection. 

The company is headquartered in Costa Mesa, California, with galleries in New York, Boston and Philadelphia. Offices are also located in New Hampshire, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Virginia, Hong Kong, Paris and Vancouver. Stack’s Bowers Galleries hosts an annual Global Showcase in August featuring United States coins and currency, Ancient coins and World coins and currency in its Costa Mesa auction gallery. They are also the Official Auctioneer for several important numismatic events, including the New York International Numismatic Convention, the Whitman Coin & Collectibles Spring, Summer and Winter Expos, the Spring and Fall Hong Kong shows, and the Maastricht Paper Money Shows.