Tibet. Theocracy Srang BE 15-43 (1909) AU55 NGC, Dode mint, KM-Y12, L&M-656, Kann-1440, WS-0281 var., Wenchao-1017 (1919), Gabrisch-96, YZM-394 var. Plain edge. An incredibly popular one-year emission produced shortly after the opening of the Dode mint, standing as the first large-size, machine-made silver issue of Tibet to feature the iconic snow lion motif, and the first Srang of the 13th Dalai Lama. Not at all a type that exists with any frequency in finer states of preservation, both NGC and PCGS record 1 coin each that they have certified in Mint State, with an incredibly small handful of AU58's outranking this piece. The present coin exists as an exceptionally icy example, just slightly dulled in the luster and minimally worn of the highpoints. Notably, the Rhodes Collection did not contain an example of this die style, while the Damkoehler specimen (also from different dies) ranked just marginally finer as an AU58.

HID09801242017

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