Heritage World Coin Auctions
Hong Kong Signature Sale 3092 24-25 Jun 2021
View prices realized
► Sale information
Find similar lots
China
Hsüan-t'ung silver Pattern "Long-Whiskered Dragon" Dollar Year 3 (1911) MS63 NGC, Tientsin mint, KM-Pn304, Kann-223, L&M-28, Chang-CH26 var. (different obverse die), WS-0040, Wenchao-105 (rarity 3 stars), Chang Foundation-33 var. (different obverse die). Pointed petals variety with raised veins in outer leaves. A type that is as renowned for its extreme rarity as it is for its undeniable artistic prowess, the 1911 Long-Whiskered Dragon Pattern by Luigi Giorgi is among the most instantly recognizable and fiercely sought of late Imperial silver Dollars. Stemming from a program by the Emperor to unify the national currency that employed an Italian die-cutting firm to work with the Central Mint in designing a new dollar coin, the artistry seen here is nothing short of exquisite--even the scales of the smiling dragon's coiled body are carefully picked out and painstakingly expressed, while the characters are deeply impressed and just slightly rounded to give a special specimen-like feel. Both sides contain a natural pearl-like coloration, backlit by a champagne hue with mottled notes of blue around the dragon. Nearing the peak of the NGC census (MS64 being the highest grade awarded by that company), we would note that both the Wa She Wong and Norman Jacobs examples only certified at MS61.
While numerous die varieties are known for the issue--mainly characterized by the forms of the leaves and the Manchu in the margins of the obverse (reverse as holdered here)--the die style seen here bears special affinities with that used on the subsequent Short-Whiskered type, the rightmost leaf showing considerably fewer "spines" than either of the two pieces listed by Chang under CH26 and CH27, or the example illustrated in the Chang Foundation collection catalog, owing to a slightly weaker engraving in these features.
https://coins.ha.com/itm/china/china-hsuan-t-ung-silver-pattern-long-whiskered-dragon-dollar-year-3-1911-ms63-ngc-/a/3092-38098.s?type=CoinArchives3092
HID02906262019
© 2020 Heritage Auctions | All Rights Reserved
Estimate: 300000-350000 USD
Hsüan-t'ung silver Pattern "Long-Whiskered Dragon" Dollar Year 3 (1911) MS63 NGC, Tientsin mint, KM-Pn304, Kann-223, L&M-28, Chang-CH26 var. (different obverse die), WS-0040, Wenchao-105 (rarity 3 stars), Chang Foundation-33 var. (different obverse die). Pointed petals variety with raised veins in outer leaves. A type that is as renowned for its extreme rarity as it is for its undeniable artistic prowess, the 1911 Long-Whiskered Dragon Pattern by Luigi Giorgi is among the most instantly recognizable and fiercely sought of late Imperial silver Dollars. Stemming from a program by the Emperor to unify the national currency that employed an Italian die-cutting firm to work with the Central Mint in designing a new dollar coin, the artistry seen here is nothing short of exquisite--even the scales of the smiling dragon's coiled body are carefully picked out and painstakingly expressed, while the characters are deeply impressed and just slightly rounded to give a special specimen-like feel. Both sides contain a natural pearl-like coloration, backlit by a champagne hue with mottled notes of blue around the dragon. Nearing the peak of the NGC census (MS64 being the highest grade awarded by that company), we would note that both the Wa She Wong and Norman Jacobs examples only certified at MS61.
While numerous die varieties are known for the issue--mainly characterized by the forms of the leaves and the Manchu in the margins of the obverse (reverse as holdered here)--the die style seen here bears special affinities with that used on the subsequent Short-Whiskered type, the rightmost leaf showing considerably fewer "spines" than either of the two pieces listed by Chang under CH26 and CH27, or the example illustrated in the Chang Foundation collection catalog, owing to a slightly weaker engraving in these features.
https://coins.ha.com/itm/china/china-hsuan-t-ung-silver-pattern-long-whiskered-dragon-dollar-year-3-1911-ms63-ngc-/a/3092-38098.s?type=CoinArchives3092
HID02906262019
© 2020 Heritage Auctions | All Rights Reserved
Estimate: 300000-350000 USD