The Stack’s Bowers and Ponterio August 2015 Hong Kong Currency Auction will showcase an incredible array of rare banknotes from the Far East. The sale will lead with Chinese material starting with an impressive selection of Empirical issues with many examples of the popular “Ming Note,” as well as pieces from the Ch’ing Dynasty and Board of Revenue issues. Republic era notes are a focal point of the sale as well, with many rare issued notes from the 1910s being offered. Key Provincial Chinese banknote rarities are also included and the sale finishes out with impressive offerings of Hong Kong currency and notes of British Commonwealths.
The highlight of the sale is an important Banque de L’Indo-Chine One Piastre that is from the Canton-Shemeen branch dated 1902. This branch is extremely rare in any denomination; we have only ever offered a single other in our past auctions, a Five Piastres specimen note, also of the 1902 date, that brought $57,500 in our December 2010 Hong Kong sale. This issued One Piastre is a true prize for any collection, with the Maurice Kolsky reference describing the note as “Nearly unique, two or three known.” The note is also plated in the Standard Catalog of World Paper Money.
An always popular Pick S2135r, Hupeh Government Mint 7 Mace, 2 Candareens is offered in an impressive Very Fine state, showing the intricate large vertical format design in strong detail. Another large vertical format rarity to be offered is a 100,000 Cash Ch’ing Dynasty piece dated 1858. A pair of rare Hong Kong and Shanghai Banking Corporation notes on Chinese branches comprise an issued Five Dollar note from 1920 and a scarce specimen $100 design dated 1922. One of the last few lots to be sold is also one of the most important and a piece we have not previously handled. This $10,000 specimen note from Malaya features a portrait vignette of King George VI and will certainly garner significant attention when it crosses the auction block.
