Heritage World Coin Auctions
Hong Kong Signature Sale 3065 28 Jun 2018
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Hong Kong
British Colony. Victoria copper Unadopted "First Opium War" Military Decoration 1842 UNC - Corrosion, 37mm, 25.10g. By W. Wyon. Obv. Youthful portrait of Queen Victoria, VICTORIA REGINA at legend. Rev: British lion with paws atop suppressed Chinese dragon, ARMIS EXPOSCERE PACEM at legend above; NANKING / 1842 in exergue. The first proposed design for the Anglo-Chinese War participants decoration by William Wyon, rejected due to its graphic depiction of a vanquished dragon, the thought being that its illustration might unnecessarily harm the mending of relationships. Extremely rare, only a few examples are known to exist, and we sold a silver example in our June 22, 2017 Hong Kong sale, Lot# 37374. That example sold for a hammer price of $22,000 US dollars. This piece, also never having been suspended, has no actual wear, but the obverse exhibits several patches of corrosion. An item that should be received with seldom-rivaled significance by the collector of Chinese, Hong Kong or British medals.
The Treaty of Nanking, signed in 1842, marked the end to the First Opium War (1839-1842) that was waged between the United Kingdom and China. Although the war was broadly a result of wide-ranging imbalances in trade between the two nations, it was the dispute over the British importation of opium from India that ultimately gave the war its popular name. While the treaty was largely ineffective, ultimately leading to the Second Opium War (1856-1860), it played a pivotal role in the West's cultural influence in the East, as it was responsible for the secession of Hong Kong to the United Kingdom's control, where it would remain for the next 156 years.
HID02901242017
Estimate: 3000-5000 USD
British Colony. Victoria copper Unadopted "First Opium War" Military Decoration 1842 UNC - Corrosion, 37mm, 25.10g. By W. Wyon. Obv. Youthful portrait of Queen Victoria, VICTORIA REGINA at legend. Rev: British lion with paws atop suppressed Chinese dragon, ARMIS EXPOSCERE PACEM at legend above; NANKING / 1842 in exergue. The first proposed design for the Anglo-Chinese War participants decoration by William Wyon, rejected due to its graphic depiction of a vanquished dragon, the thought being that its illustration might unnecessarily harm the mending of relationships. Extremely rare, only a few examples are known to exist, and we sold a silver example in our June 22, 2017 Hong Kong sale, Lot# 37374. That example sold for a hammer price of $22,000 US dollars. This piece, also never having been suspended, has no actual wear, but the obverse exhibits several patches of corrosion. An item that should be received with seldom-rivaled significance by the collector of Chinese, Hong Kong or British medals.
The Treaty of Nanking, signed in 1842, marked the end to the First Opium War (1839-1842) that was waged between the United Kingdom and China. Although the war was broadly a result of wide-ranging imbalances in trade between the two nations, it was the dispute over the British importation of opium from India that ultimately gave the war its popular name. While the treaty was largely ineffective, ultimately leading to the Second Opium War (1856-1860), it played a pivotal role in the West's cultural influence in the East, as it was responsible for the secession of Hong Kong to the United Kingdom's control, where it would remain for the next 156 years.
HID02901242017
Estimate: 3000-5000 USD