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Hong Kong Signature Sale 3095 11-13 Dec 2021
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Hsüan-t'ung silver Proof Pattern "Long-Whiskered Dragon" Dollar Year 3 (1911) PR63 NGC, Tientsin mint, KM-Pn305, L&M-28, Kann-223a, Chang-CH26, Shanghai Museum-592, WS-0040 var. (different obverse die), Wenchao-106 (rarity 3 stars), Chang Foundation-33, Shi Jiagan Collection-67. Variety with incuse veins on outer leaves. Among the most famous Patterns from the end of the Qing Dynasty, the so-called "Long-Whiskered" Dragon Dollars from 1911 represent what is perhaps the culmination of late Imperial art as expressed in a numismatic medium. The product of the famed Central Mint engraver, Luigi Giorgi--who also stood behind many of the most famed designs of the early Republic--this type represented a program on the part of the Emperor to unify the national currency, formally abolish the disparate standards of the different provinces, and finally supplant the circulation of foreign silver Dollars that had so long frustrated central Chinese monetary policy. Though the Dragon design observed here was ultimately destined to remain only a trial concept, it undoubtedly left its imprint on the imaginations of collectors of the Chinese series by and large. Altogether missing from the Irving Goodman Collection, and surprisingly absent from Hans Schulman and Quality Sales Corp's June 1971 sale of the Kann Collection in this die pairing; we would note that the Wa She Wong specimen certified at a mere MS61 by comparison, with the highest grade awarded across all varieties for the issue being an MS65.
Although numerous die varieties are known for this Pattern series--principally characterized by the forms of the leaves and the Manchu in the margins of the obverse (reverse as holdered here)--most of these pale in comparison to the rarity of the type as a whole, with the exception of those pieces employing the same obverse die as the adopted Dollar design (cf. Kann-223b, and L&M-37 for adopted type). Nonetheless, a great deal of insight can be gleaned about production at the mint from these small variants. The obverse of the current offering, for instance, bears strong die similarities to the "Reversed Dragon" Patterns (cf. WS-0042B), particularly in the shape of the leftmost leaf with seven points, the bottom two of which on the left show a hooked shape.
Ex. Champion Coin Auction (June 2008, Lot 192)
https://coins.ha.com/itm/china/china-hsuan-t-ung-silver-proof-pattern-long-whiskered-dragon-dollar-year-3-1911-pr63-ngc-/a/3095-34011.s?type=DA-DMC-CoinArchives-WorldCoins-3095-12112021
HID02906262019
© 2020 Heritage Auctions | All Rights Reserved
Estimate: 500000-700000 USD
Hsüan-t'ung silver Proof Pattern "Long-Whiskered Dragon" Dollar Year 3 (1911) PR63 NGC, Tientsin mint, KM-Pn305, L&M-28, Kann-223a, Chang-CH26, Shanghai Museum-592, WS-0040 var. (different obverse die), Wenchao-106 (rarity 3 stars), Chang Foundation-33, Shi Jiagan Collection-67. Variety with incuse veins on outer leaves. Among the most famous Patterns from the end of the Qing Dynasty, the so-called "Long-Whiskered" Dragon Dollars from 1911 represent what is perhaps the culmination of late Imperial art as expressed in a numismatic medium. The product of the famed Central Mint engraver, Luigi Giorgi--who also stood behind many of the most famed designs of the early Republic--this type represented a program on the part of the Emperor to unify the national currency, formally abolish the disparate standards of the different provinces, and finally supplant the circulation of foreign silver Dollars that had so long frustrated central Chinese monetary policy. Though the Dragon design observed here was ultimately destined to remain only a trial concept, it undoubtedly left its imprint on the imaginations of collectors of the Chinese series by and large. Altogether missing from the Irving Goodman Collection, and surprisingly absent from Hans Schulman and Quality Sales Corp's June 1971 sale of the Kann Collection in this die pairing; we would note that the Wa She Wong specimen certified at a mere MS61 by comparison, with the highest grade awarded across all varieties for the issue being an MS65.
Although numerous die varieties are known for this Pattern series--principally characterized by the forms of the leaves and the Manchu in the margins of the obverse (reverse as holdered here)--most of these pale in comparison to the rarity of the type as a whole, with the exception of those pieces employing the same obverse die as the adopted Dollar design (cf. Kann-223b, and L&M-37 for adopted type). Nonetheless, a great deal of insight can be gleaned about production at the mint from these small variants. The obverse of the current offering, for instance, bears strong die similarities to the "Reversed Dragon" Patterns (cf. WS-0042B), particularly in the shape of the leftmost leaf with seven points, the bottom two of which on the left show a hooked shape.
Ex. Champion Coin Auction (June 2008, Lot 192)
https://coins.ha.com/itm/china/china-hsuan-t-ung-silver-proof-pattern-long-whiskered-dragon-dollar-year-3-1911-pr63-ngc-/a/3095-34011.s?type=DA-DMC-CoinArchives-WorldCoins-3095-12112021
HID02906262019
© 2020 Heritage Auctions | All Rights Reserved
Estimate: 500000-700000 USD