NEW BOOK: MONETA PUBLICATION 167: HONG KONG MINT

Moneta 167
Documents and Studies on 19th c. Monetary History
Hong Kong
Rise and fall of the Hong Kong Mint (7 May 1866 – 25 April 1868)
Georges Depeyrot

This series of volumes Documents and Studies on 19th c. Monetary History aims to republish the main documents related to the question of bimetallism at the end of the 19th century. The series will include several sub-series devoted to the International Monetary Conferences held in various capitals during the second half of the century and to the specific situation of different countries (i.e. India, Japan, United States of America, China, etc.), since the question of monetary systems was a global one. It will also include specific studies on monetary questions and on monetary history. The scientific community will thus have access to the enormous collection of statistics, analyses and discussions on and around the subject of gold and silver coinages. These documents will be useful to specialists of the 19th century but also to all specialists in monetary history and in particular those studying the question of the ratio between gold and silver and that of the gold or silver standard, which are relevant to all periods.

The Hong Kong mint produced coins for only two years. The project was discussed for years, but by the time England and Hong Kong decided to open the plant, the economic situation was changed. The mint was never profitable and a few weeks after the inauguration, the question of the closure of the establishment was opened. For months, the master of the mint, Thomas Kinder and the Governor of Hong Kong, Sir Richard Graves MacDonnell, tried to find a solution to all the difficulties. In the final months they hoped to produce coins for China and Japan. This failed and the machines were sold to Japan to create the Osaka mint.

This volume presents the unpublished documents, letters and reports from and to Hong Kong concerning the mint. It explains why and how the mint opened and closed. It also gives information and details on the monetary situation in China and Japan. MONETA 167
340 pages
90 euros

For more information, or to order, see: Moneta 167 (www.moneta.be/volumes/moneta_167.htm)

Wayne Homren, Editor

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