Stack's Bowers & Ponterio
May 2020 Hong Kong Auction 4-6 May 2020
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CHINA. Taiwan. Military Ration Dollar, ND (1836). NGC VF-35.
L&M-310; K-7; cf.WS-0994. An EXTREMELY RARE and unusual issue. Obverse: Two Chinese characters at top, signature below flanked by 4-petal rosettes on either side, also by two small official chopmarks "Chang" and "Xie"; Reverse: Four Chinese characters, the bottom two flanked by 4-petal rosettes. The coin edge exhibits a security device of circles and rectangles, remarkably similar to that seen on Spanish Colonial Portrait Reales. A wholesome dollar with some uneven wear but exhibiting a minimum of field marks and endowed with a pervasive and even dark gray tone.
L&M-310; K-7; cf.WS-0994. An EXTREMELY RARE and unusual issue. Obverse: Two Chinese characters at top, signature below flanked by 4-petal rosettes on either side, also by two small official chopmarks "Chang" and "Xie"; Reverse: Four Chinese characters, the bottom two flanked by 4-petal rosettes. The coin edge exhibits a security device of circles and rectangles, remarkably similar to that seen on Spanish Colonial Portrait Reales. A wholesome dollar with some uneven wear but exhibiting a minimum of field marks and endowed with a pervasive and even dark gray tone.
For the majority of the nineteenth century, Taiwan remained under the control of the Qing court as part of Fukien province. During this time Taiwan saw great civil unrest, with regular occurring rebellions and riots. This period evoked the common saying "every three years an uprising; every five years a rebellion". These military ration dollars were struck during one such rebellion in the sixteenth year of Tao Kuang (1836). Five years after it began the rebellion was quelled in the 21st year of Tao Kuang (1840) at a total cost of nearly 100,000 Taels.
Estimate: $12000.00- $16000.00