Hsüan-t'ung silver Specimen Pattern "Long-Whiskered Dragon" Dollar Year 3 (1911) UNC Details (Rim Repaired) PCGS, Tientsin mint, KM-Pn304, L&M-28, Kann-223, WS-0040, Wenchao-105 (rarity 3 stars). Outer Leaves Veined. Among the most famous Patterns from the end of the Qing Dynasty, the so-called "Long-Whiskered" dragon Dollars from 1911 represent what is perhaps the culmination of late Imperial art as expressed in a numismatic medium. The product of the famed Central Mint engraver, Luigi Giorgi--who also stood behind many of the most famed designs of the early Republic--this type represented a program on the part of the Emperor to unify the national currency, formally abolish the disparate standards of the different provinces, and finally supplant the circulation of foreign silver Dollars that had so long frustrated central Chinese monetary policy. Though the dragon design observed here was ultimately destined to remain only a trial concept, it undoubtedly left its imprint on the imaginations of collectors of the Chinese series by and large. A tantalizing opportunity to obtain this famed numismatic jewel. HID09801242017 © 2024 Heritage Auctions | All Rights Reserved

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