Our upcoming October 2023 Hong Kong Rarities Night—always a collector favorite—will feature numismatic treasures from among the Chinese series. One historical figure who is seemingly ubiquitous among the coins of China’s early republic is Yuan Shih-kai. While his Hitchcockian-style side profile is familiar to even novice collectors, other depictions of him are encountered far less frequently. In the case of lot 30191 in Rarities Night, his countenance is entirely different. Here, the highly skilled Luigi Georgi—commissioned to create some of the early issues in post-imperial China—displays the then-president in a perspective view to the left, with intense focus in his eyes and an elegant flair to the hairs of his moustache. Crisper and more lively in its styling than the adopted, more familiar type, the rarer of these patterns features Giorgi’s signature quite prominently placed above Yuan’s left shoulder. Receiving a rarity rating of four stars in Wenchao, it’s extremely clear that this specimen, graded NGC PROOF-61, will offer endless appeal and be among the many standouts of Rarities Night. For more information about Yuan Shih-kai’s life, as well as his many numismatic depictions, please view our previous blog post from May 2020.
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 our auctions, and are currently accepting submissions for our January 2024 Official Auction of the NYINC and our spring 2024 Hong Kong auction. Additionally, we are accepting submissions for our Collectors Choice Online (CCO) auctions. 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.
