Hong Kong 1866 10 cents
The first specimen was lot 10490 in Ponterio sale 169 (Baltimore, November 2012), where it sold for $2,585. The catalog description[1] noted, "HONG KONG. 10 Cents, 1866. PCGS MS-65 Secure Holder. Dusty toning from old envelop storage." The second specimen was part of lot 22224 in Ponterio sale 169 (Baltimore, November 2012), where it sold for $1,645. The catalog description[1] noted, "HONG KONG. 10 Cents, 1866 & 1868. 2 pieces in lot. Both toned. Both encapsulated in PCGS MS-63 Secure Holder." The British set up a mint in Hong Kong in 1866 which struck mils through dollars. It does not seem to have been a success as the mint was closed in 1868. In 1872, Hong Kong began receiving ten cent coins from the Heaton mint and in 1869 from the Royal mint. This type was minted steadily until the queen's death in 1901 and it is common in all grades. This "Gothic" bust of the queen was used on the cent and ten cents and more conventional bare bust on the five, twenty and fifty cents.
Recorded mintage: 300,000 (KM 6.2, ten pearls in crown) plus 2,479,000 (KM 6.3, five pearls in crown) plus a few proofs.
Specification: 2.71 g, 0.800 fine silver, .069 troy oz ASW.
Catalog reference: KM-6.2; Mars-C18.
- Michael, Thomas, and Tracy L. Schmidt, Standard Catalog of World Coins, 1801-1900, 9th ed., Iola, WI: Krause Publications, 2019.
- Illustrated Catalog of Hong Kong Currency, Hong Kong: Mars Numismatic Co., 2012.
- [1]Ponterio, Richard, Ponterio sale 169: The November 2012 Baltimore Auction, Irvine, CA: Stack's Bowers, LLC, 2012.
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