Heritage Auctions

Auction 3074  –  27 - 28 June 2019

Heritage Auctions, Auction 3074

Ancient and World Coins

Part 1: Th, 27.06.2019, from 4:00 AM CEST
Part 2: Fr, 28.06.2019, from 8:00 AM CEST
The auction is closed.

Description

Kuang-hsü gold Pattern Kuping Tael (Liang) CD 1907 MS61 NGC, Tientsin mint, KM-Pn302, L&M-1024, Kann-1541. Reeded Edge, Small Clouds variety. Obv. Four Chinese characters within a beaded ring standing for, "Ta Ching Gold Coin," in the outer circle above are six Chinese characters translating as, "Made (during) the Kuang Hsu (regime) in the year of Guang Xu (1907)," in the outer circle below are four Chinese characters translating as, "Kuping (weight) 1 Tael." Rev. Dragon entirely surrounded by small clouds. Perhaps the most iconic, and certainly the most renowned, gold Pattern of the late Qing Dynasty, this imposing Kuping Tael stands as a veritable giant of Chinese numismatics--a mere 10 other examples of this variety (misattributed on the holder) certified to-date by NGC, with perhaps only a handful of pieces originally struck. Noted by Kann to perhaps have been a "superfluous" experiment moving towards modernizing the country by "flirt[ing] with the idea of introducing a gold-standard system" to a country that had never possessed one, the coin at hand appears bathed in sun-gold color, a tinge of rose-gold toning occurring closer to the devices on the reverse. Some extremely minor handling wisps are noted for the sake of accuracy, in-line with the assigned grade, but otherwise are notably faint, requiring a more scrupulous examination to reveal themselves. Needless to say, an exceedingly rare issue and an absolute must for the serious collector of Chinese coins and patterns. Ex. Patrick Tan Collection

HID09801242017

To the auctioneer's website

Question about this lot?

Bidding

Price realized 95'000 USD
Starting price 30'000 USD
Estimate 60'000 USD
The auction is closed.
Feedback / Support