This week’s featured world coin is a special item in our December Hong Kong Collectors Choice Online Auction taking place on December 7 and 8, beginning each day at 10 AM HKT (December 6 and 7, 6 PM PST). This seemingly common coin, lot # 31698 – Philippines 50 Centavos 1945-S, is in fact highly unusual and extremely rare. Unlike others of its type struck at the United States mints in San Francisco and Denver, the present piece is struck over a Walking Liberty half dollar of unknown date, presumably produced at the San Francisco Mint. During this period errors were fairly common on the smaller denominations of the U.S. Philippines – usually off-center strikes and clipped planchets with a few other types such as out of collar and double dies. The present piece probably resulted when an already struck Walking Liberty half dollar got stuck in the hopper (large bin into which coins are ejected after being struck) and was later used as a blank planchet. The blank planchet was then used to strike a Philippines 50 Centavos of the same year from the same mint. This type of error seldom occurs and is highly sought after by specialists.
For a complete listing of items in the December Hong Kong Collectors Choice Online Auction please click on the links below.
We are always looking for consignments for future sales, including our Hong Kong and Showcase auctions and our Collectors Choice Online Auctions. If you have a consignment specialist you already work with at Stack’s Bowers Galleries, give them a call or email them to discuss your holdings. Otherwise email consign@stacksbowers.com or call one of our offices to speak to a consignment specialist today.
