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Hong Kong Signature Currency Sale 4023 11 & 13 Jul 2020
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China Yokohama Specie Bank Limited, Hankow 100 Dollars 1.10.1917 Pick S665 S/M#H31-128b PMG Choice Very Fine 35. Fantastic and extremely rare, this highest denomination banknote is the first of its kind to appear in public auction. At the time of cataloging, this is the only example in the PMG Population Report. The splendid, lightly circulated grade adds to the visual appeal, as all design elements are bright and clear. The enormous spending power of this note limited the number of notes issued and prevented the majority of those issued from being saved for posterity. Chinese characters and western serial numbers are seen on the front, while English text is printed on the back. A pleasing vignette of the bank's historic Tokyo headquarters decorates the back right side. Interestingly, that building is now the Kanagawa Prefectural Museum of Cultural History. Incredibly, the Yokohama Specie Bank building in Hankow, where this amazing banknote was issued, also still stands today, on Sun Yat Sen Road. Additionally, many other branch buildings of this powerful global bank are still erect, despite this bank being absorbed by Bank of Tokyo in 1946. This bank was a major financier and enabler of Japanese forces during World War II. The stigma left behind rendered business almost impossible after the Japanese defeat. As an historical aside, the Yokohama Specie Bank operated a branch in Honolulu, Hawaii beginning 1892, until the Alien Custodian Agency closed it down after the bombing of Pearl Harbor in 1941. Customers' accounts were frozen. All were finally paid out after a Department of Justice authorization in 1949. The history of this famed bank endears it to collectors today. This banknote is of the utmost rarity and is certainly missing from even the most complete collections of the subject. Our estimate is assuredly conservative, which should entice bidders to participate in this important auction. https://currency.ha.com/itm/world-currency/china-yokohama-specie-bank-limited-hankow-100-dollars-1101917-pick-s665-s-m-h31-128b-pmg-choice-very-fine-35/a/4023-28084.s?type=CoinArchivesCurrency4023 HID08706262019 © 2020 Heritage Auctions | All Rights Reserved
Estimate: 5600-8400 USD
China Yokohama Specie Bank Limited, Hankow 100 Dollars 1.10.1917 Pick S665 S/M#H31-128b PMG Choice Very Fine 35. Fantastic and extremely rare, this highest denomination banknote is the first of its kind to appear in public auction. At the time of cataloging, this is the only example in the PMG Population Report. The splendid, lightly circulated grade adds to the visual appeal, as all design elements are bright and clear. The enormous spending power of this note limited the number of notes issued and prevented the majority of those issued from being saved for posterity. Chinese characters and western serial numbers are seen on the front, while English text is printed on the back. A pleasing vignette of the bank's historic Tokyo headquarters decorates the back right side. Interestingly, that building is now the Kanagawa Prefectural Museum of Cultural History. Incredibly, the Yokohama Specie Bank building in Hankow, where this amazing banknote was issued, also still stands today, on Sun Yat Sen Road. Additionally, many other branch buildings of this powerful global bank are still erect, despite this bank being absorbed by Bank of Tokyo in 1946. This bank was a major financier and enabler of Japanese forces during World War II. The stigma left behind rendered business almost impossible after the Japanese defeat. As an historical aside, the Yokohama Specie Bank operated a branch in Honolulu, Hawaii beginning 1892, until the Alien Custodian Agency closed it down after the bombing of Pearl Harbor in 1941. Customers' accounts were frozen. All were finally paid out after a Department of Justice authorization in 1949. The history of this famed bank endears it to collectors today. This banknote is of the utmost rarity and is certainly missing from even the most complete collections of the subject. Our estimate is assuredly conservative, which should entice bidders to participate in this important auction. https://currency.ha.com/itm/world-currency/china-yokohama-specie-bank-limited-hankow-100-dollars-1101917-pick-s665-s-m-h31-128b-pmg-choice-very-fine-35/a/4023-28084.s?type=CoinArchivesCurrency4023 HID08706262019 © 2020 Heritage Auctions | All Rights Reserved
Estimate: 5600-8400 USD