Very Attractive and Highly Desirable Tael
CHINA. Hupeh. Tael, Year 30 (1904). NGC AU-53.
L&M-180; K-933; KM-Y-128.2; WS-0878; Sun-1-2-06. Small Characters variety. An attractive nicely preserved example of this ever popular type exhibiting a bold strike with good definition of the fine details. The surfaces display lovely pervasive dove gray patina with hints of sunset hued iridescence in the peripherals. A very pleasing survivor with good eye appeal far nicer looking than an identically graded example we sold in our August Hong Kong 2019 auction Lot # 51149 which hammered down at an impressive $24,000 plus buyer fee. A wholesome piece certain to garner much attention from collectors seeking good looking examples. Originally 648,000 Hupeh Taels were minted, this includes both large and small character types; however, it is unknown exactly how many of each were struck. The Hupeh Tael was introduced as part of a projected coinage reform based on the traditional Chinese weight standard, rather than the Dollar system. In the initial proposal to produce these coins, it was also suggested to produce smaller denominations in the values of 1, 2, and 5 Mace. However, no such pieces have surfaced (even in pattern form) and it is unlikely they were ever produced. The general populace found it complicated in converting two distinctly different coinage systems, especially when making change. A Hupeh Tael housed in the British museum supports this by showing evidence of cutting to make change. The British museum specimen is essentially mint state with a large pie shape section cut from the coin. The cut is in a similar manner to the "broken dollars" picture on pg. 121 figure 4.10 of Joe Cribb's reference Money in the Bank. This short lived series circulated for only a brief period and was soon after replaced by the unified Tai Ching Ti Kuo silver coinage. Although the Hupeh Tael coinage has a fairly large mintage, most were likely melted down to be made into later coinage. It is interesting to note that the Hupeh Taels were struck in 0.877 fine silver, as opposed to the 0.960 fine silver set forth by the currency regulations of 1905.
Estimate: $22000.00- $26000.00

誘人且極受歡迎的湖北壹兩
光緒三十年湖北省造大清銀幣庫平壹兩。小字版。
小字版。 保存完好，廣受歡迎的版別，打模深峻有力，細節栩栩如生。表面通體灰鴿色包漿，外環更滲現日落虹彩，可說是存世中的一枚瑰寶，品相比2019年8月香港夏拍所呈獻的同分佳品#51149更佳，當時的成交價已高達$24,000連佣金，此枚更是令人期待，絕對會在藏家間口頌相傳。 湖北雙龍壹兩共製有648,000枚，包括大字版和小字版。每一版具體製作量不詳。當時的幣制改革擬棄用"圓"為單位，改用中國傳統重量單位製錢，湖北壹兩便應運而生。原本在製造雙龍一兩的同時，鑄幣局還要鑄五錢、二錢、一錢等輔幣，但是這些輔幣均未有流通幣流傳於世，甚至連樣幣都沒有，因此很有可能未曾鑄出。當時的百姓普遍認為兩种幣制在轉換時會引起困擾，在找換時尤其。這一換算混亂情況的真實佐證是大英博物館館藏的一枚湖北一兩，它新如出廠，唯獨好似切餅般被切去了一角，與Joe Cribb著述Money in the Bank第121頁圖4.10所示的broken dollars有異曲同工之妙。湖北雙龍壹兩流通時間極短，之後被大清銀幣替代，儘管鑄打數量很多，但是之後多被回爐重鑄。值得注意的是，湖北壹兩成色是0.877，與1905年（光緒三十一年）制定的壹兩銀幣章程中所規定的含銀0.960不符。 On September 1, 2019, the United States enacted new tariffs on collector's items manufactured in China. Accordingly, all buyers in forthcoming Stack's Bowers and Ponterio Hong Kong Auctions who wish to have any Chinese manufactured item delivered within the United States will be subject to these tariffs. Furthermore, as a result of the new tariffs, all orders will be shipped directly from our Hong Kong offices and shipments to the United States will be subject to our international shipping chart.