Numismatic Guaranty Corporation® (NGC®) has certified 11 important coins struck by the Vienna Mint in 1910 and 1911 for the Central Mint in Tianjin, China. These extremely rare coins were carefully preserved in the Central Mint Archives for many years, a pedigree that is noted on the NGC certification label.
In 1905 the Empire of China established a Central Mint in Tianjin (then called “Tientsin”) with four branch mints in Zhili (then “Chihli”), Nanjing (then “Nanking”), Wuchang and Guangzhou (then “Canton”). The Imperial Government of China decided to look internationally for expertise and machinery for the new Central Mint. Machinery was supplied by two American firms and its installation was overseen by Lyle G. Emery, the former superintendent of machinery for the US Branch Mint in New Orleans.
Other countries sought to work with the Central Mint of China. In 1910 and 1911, the Vienna Mint of Austria prepared dies in a variety of denominations to show to the Central Mint.
A small number of coins were struck from these dies. Some of these coins are Proof versions of coins that were ultimately made by the Central Mint for use in commerce. Others were “patterns”, or test pieces, which show a proposed design that was not used by the Central Mint. All Vienna Mint Proofs and patterns are extremely rare.
Li Yang, an NGC Authorized Dealer in China, submitted a set of four 1910 Vienna Mint Proofs from his personal collection for evaluation by the newly established NGC Advanced China Authentication Bureau (ACAB). The set contained a 10 cent (cataloged as L&M-27), a 25 cent (L&M-26), a 50 cent (L&M-25) and a silver dollar (L&M-24). After the NGC ACAB confirmed the authenticity of these coins, they were graded by NGC as follows:
- 1910 China 10 Cents, L&M-27, Vienna Mint, NGC PF 66
- 1910 China 25 Cents, L&M-26, Vienna Mint, NGC PF 67
- 1910 China Silver Dollar, L&M-24, Vienna Mint, NGC PF 67
- 1910 China 50 Cents, L&M-25, Vienna Mint, NGC PF 67
1910 China 10 Cents, L&M-27 & 1910 China 25 Cents, L&M-26. All images courtesy NGC
1910 China Silver Dollar, L&M-24 & 1910 China 50 Cents, L&M-25
The submission of this Proof Set prompted NGC consultant Chen Gi Mao to submit seven 1910 and 1911 Vienna Mint patterns from his personal collection. To ensure impartiality, Mr. Chen was not involved in the grading of these coins.
Mr. Chen’s Vienna Mint patterns were graded by NGC as follows:
- 1910 China Li, Bronze Pattern, Vienna Mint, NGC SP 64 BN
- 1910 China Five Li, Bronze Pattern, Vienna Mint, NGC SP 65 BN
- 1910 China Fen, Bronze Pattern, Vienna Mint, NGC SP 63 RB
- 1910 China Two Fen, Bronze Pattern, Vienna Mint, NGC SP 65 BN
- Year 3 (1911) China 10 Cents, Vienna Mint, NGC SP 65 RB
- Year 3 (1911) China 20 Cents, Vienna Mint, NGC SP 65 BN
- Year 3 (1911) China 5 Cents, Vienna Mint, NGC SP 65 BN
1910 China Li, Bronze Pattern & 1910 China Five Li, Bronze Pattern
1910 China Fen, Bronze Pattern & 1910 China Two Fen, Bronze Pattern
Year 3 (1911) China 10 Cents & Year 3 (1911) China 20 Cents
Year 3 (1911) China 5 Cents
The 11 Vienna Mint Proof and pattern coins were encapsulated with the prestigious NGC ACAB Red Dragon label. For more information about the NGC ACAB, visit NGCcoin.com/ACAB.
“It was an incredible honor to be able to grade these important rarities,” says Jay Turner, NGC Grading Finalizer. “It is a miracle that these coins have survived in such high grades and now, with the added protection of the NGC holder, they will be preserved for future generations to study and enjoy.”
The 11 Vienna Mint coins recently certified by NGC will be on display at the NGC booth at the China International Coin Expo (CICE), May 18-20, 2017. Visit chinacoinshow.com for details about the CICE.
To learn how to submit to NGC China, visit NGCcoin.cn/Submissions.
