The Patrick H.C. Tan Collection of Imperial Dragons
One of the Finest Known Shànghǎi Pattern Liǎng

Triton XIV, Lot: 1232. Estimate $150000. Sold for $300000. This amount does not include the buyer’s fee.

CHINA, Empire. Qīng (Ch’ing) Dynasty. Tóngzhì (T’ung-Chih). 1861-1875. AR Pattern Liǎng (Tael). Imperial Dragon type. Xiānggǎng (Hong Kong) mint. Dated 1867. ONE TAEL SHANGHAI/HONG KONG/1867 (date), coat-of-arms of England, Scotland, and Ireland within Collar of the Garter, crowned and inscribed HONI SOIT QUI MAL Y PENSE (motto of the Order: Shame be to him who thinks evil of it); below, 982 (fineness) and G 566 (weight) / “yì liǎng shàng hǎi,” (1 liǎng – Shànghǎi) in Hànzì, flying imperial dragon facing, coiled rightward within Collar of the Garter. L&M 600; Kann 911a; KM Pn124 (Hong Kong). In PCGS slab graded PR 64, attractively toned with deep mirror surfaces. Extremely rare.

From the Patrick H.C. Tan Collection. Ex Champion Auction 6 (22 June 2008), lot 216; Spink-Taisei 3 (11 February 1988), lot 406; R. A. Leonard Collection; Wayte Raymond Collection.

Previously known to most collectors as the ‘Shanghai Municipal Council Tael,’ this enigmatic piece was actually an early attempt at a universal national coinage for use throughout China. Neither struck in or on behalf of Shanghai, the patterns were in fact struck on account of the Central Government at Peking. At that time, Shanghai possessed no modern minting facilities. Conversely, Hong Kong recently opened her own mint, much too large for the production of her coinage alone. For these two reasons, mint officials in Hong Kong were commissioned to design and strike these pieces set to the standard of the Shanghai tael. The first design proposed by the mint displayed the image of Queen Victoria — a controversial choice just seven years removed from China’s defeat by the British in the Second Opium War and a proposal flatly rejected by the Chinese authorities. A second design featured further Anglo iconography (though somewhat less overt) in the form of the British crown, coat-of-arms, and Collar of the Garter on both the obverse and the reverse. Within the Collar on the reverse, however, was an impressively designed imperial dragon — a forerunner to the dragon motif used during the latter part of the 19th and into the early 20th centuries. This design was rejected as well, possibly on account of the aforementioned British overtones, or perhaps because China was simply not interested in a silver coinage. In either event, specimens were produced both with and without rays surrounding Collar on the reverse, with very few of each type surviving. As such, for its rarity, craftsmanship, and historical background, this exceptional pattern serves as a centerpiece to any comprehensive and impressive collection.

Imperial Dragons from the Patrick H.C. Tan Collection.

Classical Numismatic Group is excited to present an impressive collection of coins not usually offered outside of East Asia. With an attention to artistry, Patrick Tan has amassed a collection of quality Imperial Dragons formed over the past decade, featuring rarities for collectors both expert and novice and allowing a glimpse into the coinage of a very volatile period in Chinese history — the end of the Chinese Empire and its final dynasty, the Qīng, and the birth of the republic. From patterns to regular business strikes and from highly-stylized dragons to legends in both Chinese and Mongolian, this collection is an important opportunity for the collector of Chinese coins, Orientalia, or burgeoning rarities. All of the following lots of Chinese coinage are from the Patrick H.C. Tan Collection.