HK coins worth a mint
A set of rare Victorian-era Hong Kong coins will be auctioned in London this month.
The five silver coins - a dollar, half-dollar, and 20, 10 and 5 cent coins - form a unique proof set.
They were never put into circulation after their production in 1868 and represent the colonial authority's failure to put silver coins in use.
Colonial coins, which the Hong Kong Mint started to produce in 1866, were not even recognised by most businessmen who traded in the colony, where the Mexican reale was the preferred currency for trade. The mint survived just three years and was shut in 1868.
'In the small world of coins, this is a big deal,' said Richard Bishop, of the auction house Spink, where the auction will be held on September 27.
During the past decade, a half-dollar coin that looked the same as the one in the set to be auctioned was sold to a private collector in Florida for US$109,250.
Spink is making a conservative estimate of US$100,000 to US$140,000 for this set of five, but Mr Bishop believes the coins are likely to fetch more.
With a standard British design, each of the coins has Queen Victoria's head on one side and the value in both Chinese and English on the other.
The present owner of the set is a Hong Kong family running several businesses. They have had the coins for more than a century.
Mr Bishop said he expected the bid to attract much interest from collectors, particularly from the United States, Hong Kong and the mainland.
