By Jeremy Bostwick – Senior Numismatist & Cataloger, Stack’s Bowers ……
The upcoming fall Hong Kong Auction from Stack’s Bowers Galleries will feature a Rarities Night session. Once again, numerous numismatic treasures—mostly from the vintage Chinese series—will cross the auction block. Among them is a pair of Pavilion Dollars from 1921. These crown-sized issues feature the bust of then-president Hsu Shih-chang. While those bearing the three characters in the lower reverse are always hotly contested, the corresponding type in gold is an immense rarity that is not often encountered. With a grade of NGC MS-61, the piece offered in the October sale dazzles with incredibly brilliance and luster, and its olive-yellow hue is quite lovely.
Pavilion dollars that lack the three characters in the lower reverse, such as the other example featured here (a PCGS SP-61), present a similar level of rarity and importance, as they represent the brief, initial emission of the type. Struck as medallic issues to be presented to important dignitaries involved in the opening of the Peking Union Medical College (PUMC), these reverses were left blank for the engraving of an awardee’s name. This practice proved unsuccessful and was quickly abandoned in favor of the “with three characters” type, thus accounting for the former’s rarity within the marketplace.
To view our upcoming auction schedule and future offerings, please visit StacksBowers.com where you may register and participate in this and other forthcoming sales.
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We are always seeking coins, medals, and paper money for future auctions, and are currently accepting consignments for our January 2024 NYINC auction and for our spring 2024 Hong Kong auction. Additionally, we are continuously accepting submissions for our Collectors Choice Online (CCO) auctions, the next of which will be in September 2023. If you would like to learn more about consigning, whether a singular item or an entire collection, please contact one of our consignment directors today and we will assist you in achieving the best possible return on your material.
Stack’s Bowers Welcomes Greg Cohen to the Team
Stack’s Bowers Galleries is pleased to announce the addition of Greg Cohen to their team of expert numismatists in our New York City gallery. Greg most recently served as senior numismatist at Legend Rare Coin Auctions where he focused on gathering consignments, writing, and research.
Stack’s Bowers’ Brian Kendrella stated: “We are pleased to have Greg rejoin our staff bringing his added experience to our firm. Greg’s knowledge in world and United States coins will be an added resource for our clients.”
Greg has been involved in numismatics since childhood. After graduating from Quinnipiac University in 2006 with a BA in History and dual minors in Economics and Political Science, Greg took a position at R.M. Smythe & Co. In April 2008, Greg began working at Stack’s, where he catalogued United States and world coins for auction and was a familiar face in the New York gallery.
Greg is a member of the ANA, the ANS, FUN, CSNS, the John Reich Collector’s Society, the Barber Coin Collector’s Club, and the Seated Liberty Collectors Club. Greg lives in New Jersey with his wife and sons where he enjoys spending time with his family fishing, painting, gardening, cooking, and reading.
