East Hopei 26 (1937) 5 li
This specimen was lot 1202 in Stephen Album sale 39 (Santa Rosa, CA, January 2021), where it sold for $960. The catalog description[1] noted, "EAST HOPEI: AE 5 li, year 26 (1937), Japanese Puppet State issue, PCGS graded MS65 RB. The East Hopeh government was absorbed into the collaborationist Provisional Government of China in December 1937, then disestablished on February 1, 1938." East Hopei was the location of a Japanese puppet state before and during World War Two. The central bank therein issued a series of base metal coins in 1937, ranging from the five li shown here to two chiao. They do not have high catalog values but are seldom seen. Many coins containing the strategic metal nickel were recalled and melted by the combatants during the war.
Recorded mintage: unknown.
Specification: copper.
Catalog reference: KM Y-516.
- Michael, Thomas, and Tracy L. Schmidt, Standard Catalog of World Coins, 1901-2000, 47th ed., Iola, WI: Krause Publications, 2019.
- [1]Album, Stephen, Joseph Lang, Paul Montz, Michael Barry and Norman Douglas Nicol, Auction 39, featuring the John Sylvester, Jr., Collection of Annamese Medals and Orders, Santa Rosa, CA: Stephen Album Rare Coins, Inc., 2020.
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