Hong Kong 1905 10 cents
This specimen was lot 51041 in Stack's Bowers Hong Kong auction (Hong Kong, April 2021), where it sold for $5,760. The catalog description[1] noted,
"HONG KONG. 10 Cents, 1905. London Mint. PCGS MS-62 Gold Shield. A VERY RARE KEY DATE, this shimmering minor presents great brilliance along with some subtle russet toning near the edges. Though emanating from the second-highest mintage in the series, nearly the entire emission was melted at the mint, making this date incredibly difficult to acquire, especially in high grades as here."
This is the key date of a type struck 1902-05. Its rarity, despite the large mintage, suggests that nearly all were melted.
Recorded mintage: 33,487,000 + proofs, the key date.
Specification: 2.7154 g, 0.800 fine silver, 0.069 troy oz ASW.
Catalog reference: KM-13; Mars-C19.
- Michael, Thomas, and Tracy L. Schmidt, Standard Catalog of World Coins, 1901-2000, 47th ed., Iola, WI: Krause Publications, 2019.
- Illustrated Catalog of Hong Kong Currency, Hong Kong: Mars Numismatic Co., 2012.
- [1]Orsini, Matt, Kyle Ponterio and Jeremy Bostwick, The April 2021 Hong Kong Auction, Costa Mesa, CA: Stack's Bowers LLC, 2021.
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