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

T'ung-Chih gold Fantasy 25 Taels (25 Liang) Year 10 (1871)-Dated (c. 1919) MS63 NGC, Uncertain mint (possibly Shanghai), KMX-M465 (recorded only in Proof), L&M-Unl., Kann-Unl. (cf. Kann-B102 for 50 Taels). An intriguing and extremely rare emission from this peculiar back-dated fantasy series postulated to possibly have been the private issues of Shanghai merchants, it is difficult not to be captivated by this coin's fantastic imagery and incredible, medallic-level of engraving that leaves no feature of the design flat or underrepresented. Dually dated to the 10th year of T'ung-Chih's era and the cyclical year xinwei, as well as featuring legends in both English and Hanzi, this particular design, with coiled dragons and the 16-armed bodhisattva Mahakala, is known with numerous variants in both the 25 and 50 Taels denomination. While the exact meaning of this imagery, particularly its ties to Tantric Buddhism, is not well-understood, they could hardly have been paired with a better canvass, thick with die polish lines and omitting all but the most insignificant marks. This is the first of this type that we have offered, and we are sure that such an immense piece will garner ample attention as it crosses the auction block, requiring bidders to place their best bids. Ex. Patrick Tan Collection (CNG Triton XIV, 4 January 2011, Lot 1233); Hong Kong Auction 39 (2 September 2004, Lot 483); Spink-Taisei Auction 3 (11 February 1988, Lot 159), this coin being the cover coin.

HID09801242017

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Bidding

Price realized 34'000 USD
Starting price 10'000 USD
Estimate 20'000 USD
The auction is closed.
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