By Chris Chatigny, Numismatist & Cataloger – Stacks Bowers ……
Stack’s Bowers and Ponterio is thrilled to present the results for another exciting large sized Modern Chinese gold commemorative coin that was featured in our August 2017 Hong Kong Showcase Auction. This coin, with its iconic Dragon and Phoenix motif realized $114,000 USD. The mythical creatures are locked in a midair ballet, reminiscent of the Yin Yang symbol. In fact, the two creatures symbolize the two complementary halves of the Yin and Yang. The Dragon represents masculinity, power, success and fortune in Chinese culture. The phoenix represents femininity, immortality, longevity and prosperity.
The denomination of 1,500 Yuan is found in between the two massive flying creatures. Technical details of the coin appear in the lower border just below the Dragon: “.999 Au 20 oz.” denoting the metal content.
The reverse design includes the upper Chinese inscription stating: “People’s Republic of China,” and below the design the date of issue, 1990. Between the legends is a breathtaking view of China’s iconic Great Wall, as it winds up a mountainous peak. Built during the Qin Dynasty in the late third century BCE and extensively rebuilt and modified during the Ming Dynasty (14th to 17th centuries CE), the Great Wall served as a bulwark against the northern Mongol tribes and as a tool to control trade. The Great Wall of China has since become an international symbol of power and one of China’s greatest achievements.
This rare large format coin comes from a mintage of just 250 pieces (this example is serial number #071).
We are currently accepting consignments of Chinese and other Asian coins and currency for Stack’s Bowers April 2018 Hong Kong Showcase Auction. In addition, we are taking consignments of world and ancient coins as well as world paper money for our October 2017 Collectors Choice Online Auction and the January 2018 New York International (NYINC) Auction. Time is running short, so if you are interested in consigning your coins and paper currency (whether a whole collection or a single rarity) be sure to contact one of our consignment directors at 800-458-4646 on the West Coast, 800-566-2580 on the East Coast, or email us at [email protected].
