On 21st of August 2014, a Taiwan Old Man Dollar sold HK$264,000 in Spink's Numismatic Collector's Series at Spink China, Hong Kong. In total, 1,514 lots were offered to collectors and numismatists with many lots exceeding estimates and expectations. The new Spink China showroom was packed with bidders for the sale.
The Chinese “Old Man Dollar” from Taiwan were offered in slabbed form (PCGS Genuine AU Details) which is extremely rare for coin such as these and achieved fantastic results. This coin is the first Chinese made silver dollar sized coin. The coin obverse show portrait of "Shou-hsin", the god of longevity well advanced in age, and appears standing wearing a robe and holding a staff with a left inscription “Cast in the time of Tao Kwang”, right inscription “Seven Two by the Treasury scales” and inscription on the bottom of Shou-hsin’s robe “Silver cake of the standard purity.”
The coin reverse show a “tsu” or sacrificial urn, a tripod object that can also be described as a treasure container. Four Manchu characters surround this item. The top and bottom characters signify “Formosa (Taiwan)”. The left and right inscriptions, indicate the town and treasury.
Another coin that make it in the hightlights is a Taiwan 'Ruyi' 1853 Silver Dollar with a realised price of HK$192,000. The silver dollar was produced by a local government office of the Qing Empire and used to pay the warlord's troops. The slabbed coin (PCGS Genuine) design show floral vase on obverse with two chopmarks in Chinese characters, crossed lotus flowers (Ruyi) on reverse with a few chopmarks in Chinese characters.
The next Spink Hong Kong Numismatic Collector's Series sale will be on November 15 2014.
