China People’s Bank of China 100 Yuan 1949 Pick 835a S/M#C282 PMG Gem Uncirculated 65 EPQ.
The sheer plethora of designs and denominations in the 1949 series makes this both an interesting and exciting field in the hobby. This was a very short lived smaller denomination, quickly rendered valueless in contemporary terms. In fact, this is only the sixth example we have offered in the last decade. Of note, this example is the initial denomination of the “Georgian Calendar” subseries, and it is rare in any and all grades. The PMG Population Report for this note is significantly smaller than most others in this series and rivals the famed 50,000 denominations in terms of rarity and desirability. An important offering.
Amid a surge in demand for Asian currency, a pair of notes — one Chinese and one from Hong Kong — each could bring $30,000 or more when they are sold in Heritage Auctions’ HKINF World Paper Money Signature® Auction July 6-7 in Hong Kong.
“The Asian currency market is as robust as it has been in a long time,” Heritage Auctions Numismatics Vice President Dustin Johnston said. “Recent results for notes of all collectible levels have underscored that upward momentum, which gives significant optimism that the trend will continue.”
This piece (estimate: $30,000+) is an important offering from the initial denomination of the “Georgian Calendar” subseries, a rarity in any grade. The PMG Population Report for this note is significantly smaller than most others in this series and rivals the famed 50,000 denominations in terms of rarity and desirability. This is just the sixth example offered through Heritage Auctions in the last decade of what was a very short-lived smaller denomination, quickly rendered valueless in contemporary terms.
Carrying the same $30,000+ pre-auction estimate is a Hong Kong Hongkong & Shanghai Banking Corp. 50 Dollars 1.1.1921 Pick 168s KNB56S Specimen PMG Choice Uncirculated 63, an iconic Waterlow & Sons design that seldom is seen in any format. This high denomination was heavily forged and any extant example is a treasure. The offered example is one of only nine graded in the PMG Population Report, and just the second Heritage Auctions has offered.
One of the most iconic notes of the first series, the design for the People’s Bank of China 50 Yuan 1949 Pick 830a S/M#C282-36 PMG Gem Uncirculated 65 EPQ (estimate: $25,000+) was said to have been adapted from an earlier 10 Yuan denomination, a design that also featured a farmer and worker. An eminently collectible type and increasingly desirable in the higher grades. The example offered in this auction features the desirable six-digit serial number is seen on this variety.
A Tannu-Tuva Republic 10 Aksha 1935 Pick 13 PMG Very Fine 20 (estimate: $20,000+) comes from a nation-state acknowledged by only two other nations: the former U.S.S.R. and China. Tannu-Tuva was a small autonomous part of the former U.S.S.R., adjacent to the Mongolian Border, and produced only four banknote series: 1924, 1933, 1935 and 1940. This impressive 10 Aksha is the second-highest denomination from the 1935 series, the first ever offered at Heritage Auctions and possibly the first ever offered in a global, public auction. This example is the first and only Pick 13 graded by PMG.
Issued slowly over nearly four decades to meet the limited demand for notes of this caliber, an Australia Commonwealth of Australia 50 Pounds ND (1918) Pick 8d PMG Very Fine 30 (estimate: $18,000+) is of the final variety, issued in 1940. Between 1914 and 1950, only 608,000 notes were printed. The spending power of this note forced most to be used and then redeemed, leaving only a scant few — 1,343, according to bank records.
Prepared for Tientsin, the China Chartered Bank of India, Australia & China, Tientsin 500 Dollars 1.11.1930 Pick S220s S/M#Y11 Specimen PMG Choice Uncirculated 64 (estimate: $15,000+) is an exceptionally rare denomination — so scarce that no issued examples are graded in the PMG Population Report, and only five examples carry Specimen grades. Waterlow & Sons created a magnificent Specimen, which is easily identified by hole-punched and overprinted cancellations.
Other top lots include, but are not limited to:
- A China Yuan Dynasty 2 Kuan 1264-1341 Pick UNL S/M#C167-1 PMG Choice Fine 15 Net (estimate: $20,000+)
- A China Peoples Bank of China Album with 20 Specimen Notes and 6 Coins from the 1953-1965 Series Uncirculated (estimate: $20,000+)
- A Hong Kong Chartered Bank of India, Australia & China 5 Dollars ND (1903-12) Pick 34s Specimen PMG Very Fine 30 (estimate: $20,000+)
- A Straits Settlements Government of the Straits Settlements 5 Dollars 1.9.1898 Pick 2 KNB4a-b PMG Very Fine 20 (estimate: $20,000+)
Images and information for all lots in the auction can be found at HA.com.4037.
As always, Heritage Auctions is fully confident that the audience of interested bidders will appreciate the breadth, scale, and quality of the offerings herein. Holding in tandem with the Hong Kong International Numismatic Fair, we present on of the top occasions for collector, investors, and enthusiasts alike to see some of the best pieces the market has to offer. Please do not hesitate to contact us if you want to share a story, discuss a lot, or better target that key issue that will complete your collection. To know more information, please email to hk@ha.com, or simply call +852 2155 1698.