The Stack’s Bowers and Ponterio April Hong Kong Auction is less than two
weeks away, and the excitement is reaching critical mass. Today’s highlight is
a coin from the Anhwei province of China. The mint in Anhwei began production
in 1897 with the intent to replace circulating foreign silver coinage
(specifically the Spanish and Spanish Colonial 8 Reales) with Chinese-made
coins. Unfortunately the plan failed, and the mint, located in the capital of
Anking, closed after only three years of production. Mintages for these years
are relatively low, making these pieces scarce. Several distinct series of
coins were produced during this period, and this 7 Mace 2 Candareens (Dollar)
piece represents the first series of coins issued from this brief minting era.
The flying Imperial Dragon dominates the design for the
obverse, shown coiled in an “S” like pattern and surrounded by clouds with a
fiery pearl coming from its mouth. The obverse English inscriptions note that
the coin was produced in “AN-HWEI PROVINCE” at the top and the denomination of
“7 MACE AND 2 CANDAREENS” at the bottom. These upper and lower legends are
separated by a seven point rosette at either side. This attractively toned
piece is just one of the many Imperial Chinese issues in the upcoming April
Hong Kong Auction. This piece is one of the few coins of this type graded Mint
State by PCGS and NGC. Exquisite sea-foam green toning and nice luster produce significant
eye appeal.
The reverse bears an all Chinese and Manchu script, as conforming to the
standard pattern, with the upper inscription reading: “Made in Anhwei Province.”
The upper and lower inscriptions are separated by a large rosette consisting of
seven dots. The lower inscription describes the denomination of this coin:
“Treasury Scales 7 Mace (and) 2 Candareens.” effectively describing the weight
of the coin, in relation to the K’uping Tael. From this, the valuation is deduced
as a silver dollar piece. The outer inscriptions are separated from the inner
symbols by a pearled ring. The four large characters dominating the obverse
read: Valuable Coin (of the) Kuang Hsu (regime). The inner central inscription
mirrors the Chinese, except it is in Manchu.
Though our Stack’s Bowers April Hong Kong Showcase Auction is no longer
open for consignments, we are now accepting consignments of world and ancient
coins for our August 2016 ANA Auction as well as Chinese and other Asian coins
and currency for our August 2016 Hong Kong Showcase Auction. Time is running
short, so if you are interested in consigning your coins and paper currency
(whether a whole collection or a single rarity) be sure to contact one of our
consignment directors.
