Stack's Bowers and Ponterio is pleased to announce details of our upcoming Hong Kong Auction of Chinese and Asian coins and currency, to be held August 24th through 26th at The Mira Hong Kong, 118 Nathan Road, Tsimshatsui, Kowloon, Hong Kong.

As the undisputed leading auctioneer of rare coins and banknotes in Southeast Asia, our auction will be an event you will not want to miss. Included in the sale will be over 1,600 lots of the most desirable numismatic material available anywhere in the world today. Much of the material up for bid will be of museum quality. However, you need not be a curator to participate in this extraordinary event!

Within the first hour of the auction, lot 51045 will cross the block, an extremely rare 1879-A French Cochin China silver Piastre Essai, certified as SP-63+ by PCGS. This impressive coin features one of the earliest known uses of the Art Nouveau style on coinage. Adding to its desirability, the surfaces exhibit a wonderful panorama of deep color tone.

Shortly afterward, Lot 51182 will offer an undated (1864) Thailand c Baht struck in gold and graded MS-64 by NGC. The piece is part of an extremely in-depth offering of Thai coinage, including the most comprehensive assemblage of 1868 machine struck patterns ever to be offered in a single sale!

Lot 52024 will feature a Tientsin Mint Year-3 (1911) Long Whisker Dragon Pattern Dollar graded MS-61 by PCGS. It will be one of a number of late Empire issues to cross the auction block, and a coin sure to attract spirited bidding. Another 1911 dated coin from this same mint will be Lot 52033, a 50 Cent pattern with instantly recognizable specimen striking qualities, graded as SP-62 by PCGS.

Lot 52091 will be a spectacular Year-3 (1914) Pattern Dollar signed by L. Giorgi and graded SP-62 by PCGS that will be of intense interest to the collectors of early Republic issues. Lot 52107 will offer a Year 12 (1923) Dragon & Peacock Pattern Dollar graded MS-64+ by PCGS, with exceptionally attractive peachy smoke colored tone. Yet another extremely rare Tiensten Mint pattern commemorative will be found in Lot 52165, a Year-17 (1928) Dollar depicting Governor Chang Tso Lin, graded SP-62 by PCGS.

The wide selection of coins from Hupeh will include Lot 52252, an impressive Large Characters Year-30 (1904) Tael graded AU-58 by NGC, one of the few surviving examples of the issue. From Kiangnan, Lot 52279 will introduce a splendid Ornamental Edge ND (1898) 7 Mace 2 Candareens in MS-63, graded by NGC.

Lot 52165 features a coin struck in every collector's favorite denomination: 7 Mace 3 Candareens. The offered piece is an extremely rare circulation striking from Kwangtung and one of the very few surviving examples, graded EF-45 by NGC. And these are just the coinage highlights! An equally compelling array of banknotes awaits prospective bidders in Sessions "A" and "F".

The banknote sale will commence with Chinese material, starting with an impressive selection of Empire issues that includes many examples of the popular "Ming Note," as well as pieces from the Qing Dynasty and Board of Revenue issues.

The highlight of the sale will be an important Banque de L'Indo-Chine One Piastre, issued from the Canton-Shemeen branch and dated 1902. All notes from the branch are highly rare. The only other example we have handled from the Shemeen Branch was a Five Piastres specimen note (also dated 1902), that brought $57,500 in our December 2010 Hong Kong sale. The offered One Piastre banknote is a true prize for any collection, with the Maurice Kolsky reference describing the note as "Nearly unique, two or three known." The note is also plated in the Standard Catalog of World Paper Money.

An always popular Pick S2135r, Hupeh Government Mint 7 Mace, 2 Candareens will be offered in an impressive Very Fine state, displaying the intricate, large vertical format design in strong detail. Another large vertical format rarity crossing the block will be a rare 100,000 Cash Qing Dynasty note dated 1858.

A pair of rare Hong Kong and Shanghai Banking Corporation notes on Chinese branches will be offered comprising an issued Five Dollar note from 1920 and a scarce specimen $100 design dated 1922. One of the last few lots to be sold will also be one of the most important, and sure to generate heated interest. This is a note we have not previously handled, a $10,000 from Malaya featuring a portrait vignette of King George VI, issued as a specimen.

Republic era banknotes in the sale will include many rarities. Key Provincial Chinese banknote rarities are also featured and the sale finishes out with an impressive offering of Hong Kong currency, plus notes of the British Commonwealth.

In addition to the live floor bidding for each session, the auction will be fully supported with live Internet bidding enabling participation from anywhere in the world. Stack's Bowers & Ponterio also offers an extensive schedule for pre-viewing lots. Inspection begins at our Irvine, California offices from August 3rd thru the 10th, with viewing commencing in Hong Kong on August 18th. Be sure to check our website, StacksBowers.com, for the specific days and times of the various auction sessions.

And of course no announcement would be complete without a reminder that when you are ready to sell, Stack's Bowers and Ponterio is your source for liquidation. We offer professional handling of your collection, with a proven track record of accomplished sales. Currently, we are accepting consignments for our November Baltimore, December Hong Kong, and January NYINC sales, and we would be delighted to hear from you. We can be reached at 949-253-0916 or via email at info@StacksBowers.com.

50106 - CHINA--FOREIGN BANKS. Banque de L'Indo-Chine. 1 Dollar, 15.1.1902. P-S436. Fine-Very Fine.

52024 - CHINA. Long Whisker Dragon Pattern Dollar, Year 3 (1911). Tientsin Mint. PCGS MS-61 Secure Holder.

52165 - CHINA. Pattern Dollar, Year 17 (1928). Tientsin Mint. PCGS SP-62 Secure Holder.

51143 - THAILAND PATTERNS. 4 Baht Struck in Copper-Nickel with Reeded Edge & Medal Alignment, ND (1868). Rama V, Phra Maha Chulalonkorn (1868-1910). NGC PROOF-64.

53001 - CHINA. 100 Yuan Pattern, 1982. Panda Series. NGC PROOF-65 ULTRA CAMEO.

52002 - CHINA. Kwan Ping Trade Coinage "Chinese-Foreign Circulating Coin". Pattern 1 Mace, ND (ca. 1858). PCGS SP-62+ Secure Holder.

51045 - FRENCH COCHIN CHINA. Piastre Essai, 1879-A. PCGS SP-63+ Secure Holder.