British Colony. Victoria Proof Pattern Tael 1867 PR64 PCGS, Hong Kong mint, KM-Pn122, Prid-314, Chang Foundation-105....

Description

"The King of Hong Kong"

British Colony. Victoria Proof Pattern Tael 1867 PR64 PCGS, Hong Kong mint, KM-Pn122, Prid-314, Chang Foundation-105. Simply amazing and an unfathomable relic from the fleeting Hong Kong mint. Struck as part of a series of Patterns by the Hong Kong mint in an attempt to solicit business from the Chinese Central Government, examples of any Tael Patterns are among the most coveted in all of southeast Asian numismatics. Utilizing the obverse of the iconic three-year Hong Kong Dollar, with Victoria's diademed effigy centering a Greek key, and a modified reverse design typically associated with the minor series, and inscribed "ONE TAEL HONG KONG 1867."

Both of immense rarity as one of just two seen at market in as many decades, and impressive quality, as inspection provides instant verification of additional care and attention to detail that accompanied the piece's production. A firm strike yields a nearly full expression of the devices throughout, causing every feature to rise in clean contrast against the pondlike resplendence of the mirrored fields beneath. Illumination reveals uniform, metallic appearances and only minor wisps to define the near-Gem assignment. Of those currently certified, this example is the finest of three, leading a PR62 sold in 2011, and a PR55, and is seen at auction far less frequently than the iconic dragon type with only a single other auction appearance since the original Goodman sale with this specimen. Goodman, in his 1995 auction, considered this piece the "King of Hong Kong" and "one of the most difficult and rarest coins in the Hong Kong collection to obtain." Clearly a once in a generation opportunity for numerous collecting segments, and sure to be among the top lots in this already impressive selection.

This intriguing piece represents one of the early efforts to create a unified national coinage for circulation across China and was struck as a Pattern under the authority of the Central Government in Peking. At the time, Shanghai had no modern minting capabilities, with early attempts to introduce Taels as silver cakes produced by private silversmiths, while Hong Kong had recently established a mint whose capacity exceeded its own needs. As a result, Hong Kong officials were tasked with designing and producing coins to the Shanghai tael standard.

The initial design depicted Queen Victoria, a controversial choice so soon after China's loss in the Second Opium War, and was promptly dismissed by Chinese officials. A subsequent design reduced but did not eliminate British elements, incorporating the crown, coat-of-arms, and the Collar of the Garter on both sides. Within the Collar on the reverse was a skillfully executed imperial dragon, an early example of the dragon imagery that would later become widespread in Chinese coinage. This design, too, was rejected, possibly due to lingering British symbolism or a general reluctance to adopt a silver coinage. Nevertheless, a small number of specimens were struck, and very few examples of any type remain today.

Ex. Irving Goodman Collection (Superior Galleries, May 1995, Lot 738); purchased privately from Douglas Liddle of Spinks in the 1960s.

Metal: Silver
Diameter: 38mm

「香港錢幣之皇」

1867年香港紋銀壹兩精製樣幣。PR64 PCGS。
香港造幣廠。這枚叫人驚歎不已的無上珍品出自存世甚短的香港造幣廠，乃該廠受清政府委托製鑄造的成套樣幣之一。在云云東南亞錢幣中，就以「兩」作單位的品種最受青睞。此幣正面承襲了經典雋永的香港壹圓設計，以希臘風格的萬字花包圍著頭戴皇冠的維多利亞女皇像，背面設計則有所修改，與輔幣較為相似，刻有「紋銀壹兩」，當中「紋」字下方鑄有TRIAL。

「香港紋銀壹兩」之珍罕程度無可比擬，乃過去數十年間在市場上出現的僅兩例之一，品相無出其右。匠心獨運的鑄工和精心保存狀態一覽無遺。透徹有力的鑄打造就了立體矚目的圖文，每道高聳立體的細節都與深峻如湖的鏡面底板形成強烈對比。在燈光照耀下，均勻有致的金屬質感一目了然，因此在評級記錄的僅三例中，此例評分獨佔鰲頭，緊隨其後的分別是2011年出售的一枚PR62以及一枚PR55。雖然同樣標誌性十足，但這款壹兩在拍賣場上出現的次數，遠少於刻有飛龍的上海壹兩。自此幣於1995年古德曼專場拍賣出售後，拍賣記錄中僅見一例。在1995年古德曼專場拍賣中，這枚壹兩被視為「香港錢幣之皇」，乃「香港錢幣中最為稀罕難覓的珍品」。對於不少錢幣收藏主題而言，此乃千載難逢的入手良機，即使在是次珍品如雲的專場中，亦定為矚目萬分的焦點所在。

這枚意義深遠的壹兩樣幣見證著中國力圖統一幣制的變革，在當時北京清政府首肯下應運而生。當時上海並無現代鑄幣技術，只能依賴民間工匠製作壹兩銀餅。而香港則剛成立造幣廠，力有所餘，故承擔起設計和鑄造上海規格壹兩銀幣的重任。

最初的設計刻有維多利亞女皇像，但由於中國於第二次鴉片戰爭中失利，該設計非議眾多，不受中國官員接納。新設計的英式元素有所減省，但正背面的皇冠、盾徽和嘉德勳章仍處處可見。背面勳章包圍著精雕細琢的中國飛龍，為後來在中國錢幣上廣受採納的飛龍設計奠定基礎。儘管如此，此設計同樣不獲接納，原因可能是英式設計元素依然過份突出，又或是大眾對銀圓有所抗拒。故此這批樣幣的鑄造量少之又少，有幸流傳至今者更是屈指可數。

來源：古德曼舊藏（1995年5月Superior Galleries，拍品號738）；1960年代經斯賓克從Douglas Liddle私人購入

View Certification Details from PCGS