Stack's Bowers & Ponterio
May 2022 Hong Kong Auction 3-9 May 2022
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JAPAN. 20 Sen, Year 13 (1880). Osaka Mint. Mutsuhito (Meiji). NGC PROOF-62.
KM-Y-24; JNDA-01-21; JC-09-21; Jacobs/Vermeule-Unlisted. Mintage: 96. This beauty demonstrates a sensational eye appeal, with the proof surfaces reaching out and grabbing the eyes of anyone who gazes upon them. Faint spectral toning bathes the surfaces, enough to affect the aesthetic judgment of even the most austere. No instances of contact abut the surfaces, leaving the proof beauty fully intact. Just a minuscule amount of friction can be evidenced under magnification, but these faint wisps are so inconspicuous as to be approaching a Zeno's paradox of unimportance. As one of the most desirable pieces in the history of numismatics, it is not impossible to foresee strong and competitive bidding for this lot. With examples being so uncommon as to make it impossible to count on one ever reaching market again, one must feel extra compulsion to bid. Very few people can claim to have ever owned an example such as this one in their collection, and the winning bidder will be able to register their name amongst that lofty lot.
Estimate: $70000 - $100000
KM-Y-24; JNDA-01-21; JC-09-21; Jacobs/Vermeule-Unlisted. Mintage: 96. This beauty demonstrates a sensational eye appeal, with the proof surfaces reaching out and grabbing the eyes of anyone who gazes upon them. Faint spectral toning bathes the surfaces, enough to affect the aesthetic judgment of even the most austere. No instances of contact abut the surfaces, leaving the proof beauty fully intact. Just a minuscule amount of friction can be evidenced under magnification, but these faint wisps are so inconspicuous as to be approaching a Zeno's paradox of unimportance. As one of the most desirable pieces in the history of numismatics, it is not impossible to foresee strong and competitive bidding for this lot. With examples being so uncommon as to make it impossible to count on one ever reaching market again, one must feel extra compulsion to bid. Very few people can claim to have ever owned an example such as this one in their collection, and the winning bidder will be able to register their name amongst that lofty lot.
This miraculous proof only issue is among the most important issues in Japanese numismatics. Only produced for use in specimen sets, likely as gifts for dignitaries, no examples of the entire set are known to be intact, leaving only pieces of the sets dispersed. While the mintage of 96 is already low, the survival rate of these pieces is likely considerably lower. It is unknown, but it is quite possible, that less than 10 examples of several denominations exist today. Research indicates that these types come to market particularly infrequently, with only an occasional smattering offered over the course of the past few decades. Often, the entire set is compared to the 1804 United States Proof set gifted during the presidency of Andrew Jackson, with comparable elusiveness and beauty. One of the most preeminent examples in the entire bourse of Japanese numismatics, and numismatics more generally.
Estimate: $70000 - $100000