The upcoming fall Hong Kong Auction will feature another of our popular and successful Rarities Night sessions. Once again, numerous numismatic treasures—mostly from the vintage Chinese series—will cross the auction block to much fanfare. Among its vast array of items is a pair of “Pavilion” Dollars from 1921. These crown-sized issues, featuring the bust of then-president Hsu Shih-chang, were the topic of a previous blog post, which you may find here. More information on Hsu Shih-chang can be found here. While those bearing the three characters in the lower reverse are always hotly contested, the corresponding type in gold is an immense rarity that is not often encountered. With a grade of NGC MS-61, the piece offered in our October sale dazzles with incredibly brilliance and luster, and its olive-yellow hue is quite lovely.
Pavilion dollars which lack the three characters in the lower reverse, such as the other example featured here (a PCGS SP-61), present a similar level of rarity and importance, as they represent the brief, initial emission of the type. Struck as medallic issues to be presented to important dignitaries involved in the opening of the Peking Union Medical College (PUMC), these reverses were left blank for the engraving of an awardee’s name. This practice proved unsuccessful and was quickly abandoned in favor of the “with three characters” type, thus accounting for the former’s rarity within the marketplace.
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 January 2024 NYINC auction and for our spring 2024 Hong Kong auction. Additionally, we are accepting consignments for our Collectors Choice Online (CCO) auctions, the next of which will be in September, and the next for which we are currently accepting consignments being in November. 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.
