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Hong Kong Signature Sale 3100 7-9 Jul 2022
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China
Taiwan silver Fantasy Tael ND MS62 PCGS, KM-X260, Kann-B37 var. (different dies), WS-1349-53 var. (same), Wenchao-1299, SHI-55 var. (same). An entrancing Tael-size Fantasy that may certainly be among the most iconic of the entire series, featuring a trademark galloping horse motif below a dragon. Visually, the piece at hand is simply spectacular, a russet orange peel and cobalt backlight washing evenly over Specimen-like luminescence. Notably, this type is recorded from several die pairings (Wenchao lists three), with pieces minted from the dies seen here appearing far less frequently; A Selection of Chinese Modern/Contemporary Counterfeits and Fantasy Coins recorded that the dies for the piece they illustrate (similar to those used for the pieces plated by Kann and Wang Chun Li) were produced by Wang Yu-Lin of Shanghai. Most often found in details grades, with the Wa She Wong example a mere AU Details by comparison.
While we have been able to find little comment about these motifs in past listings, it is quite possible that they were meant as symbols of astrological import, with the dragon both evoking the Imperial house as well as the span of constellations identified with the same creature--a crucial tool for gauging time, the passage of the seasons, and all heavenly portents in Imperial China. The horse may then be evocative of Pegasus, whose sign in the sky (the Square of Pegasus), when taken together with the clustering of the Five Planets, was considered a harbinger of a change of the Mandate of Heaven. Perhaps, taking this with frequent military uprisings in Taiwan under the Qing Dynasty, the composition may then be taken as a wish for the overthrow of the ruling house. From the Tony Ma Collection
https://coins.ha.com/itm/china/china-taiwan-silver-fantasy-tael-nd-ms62-pcgs-/a/3100-34171.s?type=DA-DMC-CoinArchives-WorldCoins-3100-07072022
HID02906262019
© 2022 Heritage Auctions | All Rights Reserved
Estimate: 15000-20000 USD
Taiwan silver Fantasy Tael ND MS62 PCGS, KM-X260, Kann-B37 var. (different dies), WS-1349-53 var. (same), Wenchao-1299, SHI-55 var. (same). An entrancing Tael-size Fantasy that may certainly be among the most iconic of the entire series, featuring a trademark galloping horse motif below a dragon. Visually, the piece at hand is simply spectacular, a russet orange peel and cobalt backlight washing evenly over Specimen-like luminescence. Notably, this type is recorded from several die pairings (Wenchao lists three), with pieces minted from the dies seen here appearing far less frequently; A Selection of Chinese Modern/Contemporary Counterfeits and Fantasy Coins recorded that the dies for the piece they illustrate (similar to those used for the pieces plated by Kann and Wang Chun Li) were produced by Wang Yu-Lin of Shanghai. Most often found in details grades, with the Wa She Wong example a mere AU Details by comparison.
While we have been able to find little comment about these motifs in past listings, it is quite possible that they were meant as symbols of astrological import, with the dragon both evoking the Imperial house as well as the span of constellations identified with the same creature--a crucial tool for gauging time, the passage of the seasons, and all heavenly portents in Imperial China. The horse may then be evocative of Pegasus, whose sign in the sky (the Square of Pegasus), when taken together with the clustering of the Five Planets, was considered a harbinger of a change of the Mandate of Heaven. Perhaps, taking this with frequent military uprisings in Taiwan under the Qing Dynasty, the composition may then be taken as a wish for the overthrow of the ruling house. From the Tony Ma Collection
https://coins.ha.com/itm/china/china-taiwan-silver-fantasy-tael-nd-ms62-pcgs-/a/3100-34171.s?type=DA-DMC-CoinArchives-WorldCoins-3100-07072022
HID02906262019
© 2022 Heritage Auctions | All Rights Reserved
Estimate: 15000-20000 USD