Our upcoming April Hong Kong auction will feature many numismatic treasures from the vintage and modern Chinese series during the highly anticipated Rarities Night session. One such intriguing example is lot 40223, the session’s cover coin—an exotic “mint sport” muling of types, undoubtedly a product of idle time at the mint. Muling the obverse types of the General Chang Tso-lin (Zhang Zuolin) patterns of 1926 & 1927 and the reverse types of the 1916 flying dragon Dollars of Yuan Shih-kai’s imperial aspirations (as the Hung Hsien Emperor), this nearly-Choice stunner combines designs that never meant to go together. Nevertheless, its impressive and extremely exalted status is clearly apparent. Its toning, with hues of subtle cobalt and magenta pairing wonderfully with a champagne backdrop, add to its eye appeal. If one looks carefully, an undertype can be discerned, as a Year 34 (1908) Chihli Dollar was used as the host for this concoction. In particular, elements of the undertype appear in various areas in the form of a different color of toning (a lighter champagne/yellow hue), as if the patination of the host was frozen in time when overstruck. Also notable is its pedigree to the seemingly unrivaled Goodman Collection; records of sales of the type since that offering remain extremely elusive.
To view our upcoming auction schedule and future offerings, please visit StacksBowers.com where you may register and participate in this and other forthcoming sales.
We are always seeking coins, medals, and paper money for future auctions, and are currently accepting consignments for our August Global Showcase auction and fall Hong Kong auction. Additionally, we are continuously accepting consignments for our Collectors Choice Online (CCO) auctions, the next of which will be in May, and the next for which we are currently accepting consignments will be in October. If you would like to learn more about consigning, whether a singular item or an entire collection, please contact one of our consignment directors today and we will assist you in achieving the best possible return on your material.
