| Stack's Bowers Galleries (& Ponterio) > April 2024 Hong Kong Auction | Auction date: 15 April 2024 |
| Lot number: 40223 Price realized: 450,000 USD (Approx. 423,450 EUR) Note: Prices do not include buyer's fees. | Show similar lots on CoinArchives Find similar lots in upcoming auctions on  |
| Lot description: CHINA. Silver "Mint Sport" Dollar, "ND (1916)" (ca. 1930s). Tientsin Mint. PCGS MS-62. L&M-925; K-p. 238; KMX-Unlisted; WS-Unlisted. An undoubted product of idle time at the mint, the frivolous auspices under which this immensely impressive "Dollar" were struck are of little matter, as it now stands as a tremendous RARITY. Muling the obverse types of the General Chang Tso-lin (Zhang Zuolin) patterns of 1926 & 1927 and the reverse types of the 1916 flying dragon Dollars of Yuan Shih-kai's imperial aspirations (as the Hung Hsien Emperor), this nearly-Choice stunner combines designs that never went together. Nevertheless, its impressive and extremely exalted status is clearly apparent. Meanwhile, its toning, with hues of subtle cobalt and magenta pairing wonderfully with a champagne backdrop, add further allure to its eye appeal. With respect to the toning, if one looks carefully, an undertype can be discerned, as a Year 34 (1908) Chihli Dollar was used as the host coin for this concoction. In particular, elements of the undertype appear in various areas in the form of a different color of toning (a lighter champagne/yellow hue), as if the patination of the host was frozen in time when overstruck. Not to be forgotten is its pedigree to the seemingly unrivaled Goodman collection, with sales records of the type since remaining extremely elusive. Of note, this "mint sport" was acknowledged in Kann, as he states, after mentioning the other coin types of the general, that "there exists still a fifth type of a Chang Tso-lin dollar coin, namely a combination of type 685 as obverse, and type 663 (flying dragon of the Yuan Shih-kai Hung Hsien period) as the reverse. Such a combination does not make sense, and there is little doubt that the coin is a 'mint sport,'" hence his reasoning for not officially enumerating it in his corpus. Ex: Irving Goodman Collection (Superior - 6/1991) Lot # 835. Estimate: $200000 - $400000 |  |
