Watch List notes:

CHINA. Hunan. Dollar, Year 11 (1922). Changsha Mint. PCGS MS-67.
L&M-867; K-763; KM-Y-404; WS-0930; Chang-CH146. The "Hunan Provincial Constitution" type, struck to commemorate the promulgation of the document. Edging its way towards perfection, this beauty is untied at the top of the PCGS registry, making official what is plain for all to see, namely that it is unmatched in splendor. Robust luster of a mostly white nature is bridled near the rims by peripheral toning of sanguine honey color. The rich details have been crisply applied to the surfaces, and this example stays above the chatter and friction that is so common to these provincial Dollars. A piece destined for numismatic lore as well as the finest of Chinese collections.

In a time of presidents and warlords, the people simply wanted to unite but also to have autonomy in their own provinces. Chao Heng-hsi, the governor of Hunan, wanted to protect the province from civil war, so he worked diligently to establish the Provincial Constitution, finally being successful on 1 January 1922. The constitution, which contained 141 articles grouped under 13 chapters, stated the difference between the central and local governments. Some of the weaker warlords supported these new terms, as they acted somewhat like a talisman--offering those weaker protection against those more powerful in that no other provincial army could enter another without permission. Consequently, several southern provinces followed suit and successfully drafted and instituted their own constitutions. To view all items from the Kairos Collection, click here.

From the Kairos Collection.

Estimate: $75000 - $125000