Kwangtung. Kuang-hsü 20 Cents (1 Mace 4-3/5 Candareens) ND (1889) MS64+ NGC, Kwangtung mint, KM-Y196, L&M-125, Kann-18, WS-0933, Wenchao-554 (rarity 3 stars). With denomination written as 1 MACE AND 4 3/5 CANDAREENS. Presently tied as the second-finest Mint State representative of this earliest of 1889 emissions across both NGC and PCGS combined, this "plus" piece very much exists on the cusp of gem in more ways than one. Gazing at the obverse, one immediately experiences a sensation of utterly little left wanting, a subtle tangerine glow washing effortlessly over incredibly watery fields in unbroken streams. Both the dragon and even the reverse calligraphy appear extraordinarily expressive, every scale on the dragon's body perfectly defined without weakness or blending together, and each stroke of the inscription seemingly suspended in a state of motion. The only flaws we may note are some very minor wisps by the leftmost character on the reverse and following the E in PROVINCE, though even these may be quickly discounted when juxtaposed with a superb display of variegated maroon-crimson tone, which adds a perceptible depth to the reverse surfaces. From the Henderson Lincoln Collection

HID09801242017

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