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THE REVERSED DRAGON DOLLARA Stack's Bowers blog article by Jeremy Bostwick highlights a high-grade example of the 1911 Reversed Dragon Dollar. -Editor 
Our biannual Hong Kong auction is always a highly-anticipated trend-setter and market-maker, featuring countless rarities from the Pacific theater. Leading the pack in our April 2023 Hong Kong Rarities Night auction is lot 40162, an important rarity from the final year in the brief reign of Hsuan-t'ung, more commonly known as the boy-emperor Puyi. With a high-end estimate reaching seven figures, this silver Dollar pattern only comes to market rather infrequently; the last time was in our May 2020 Hong Kong auction. This despite the vast numbers of Chinese rarities offered in the time span since that appearance. Subtle differences in the design of the dragon set this prototype apart from the commonly encountered issue that was eventually adopted. These include the side from which the dragon is curled, the shape of its scales, and English characters which vary slightly in overall size and design. These seemingly minor or even inconsequential differences factor heavily in its rarity and immense desirability. When combined with this example's superb state of preservation – graded SPECIMEN-65 by PCGS – it becomes very easy to see why this stunning relic from waning Ch'ing rule will soar to lofty heights in yet another fantastic sale offered by Stack's Bowers and Ponterio. Here's more from the lot description. -Editor CHINA. Silver "Reversed Dragon" Dollar Pattern, Year 3 (1911). Tientsin Mint. Hsuan-t'ung (Xuantong [Puyi]). PCGS SPECIMEN-65. L&M-31; K-225; KM-Pn308; WS-0042A; Chang Foundation-37; Wenchao-115 (rarity: ???). Type II; variety with raised veins in outer leaves. A simply majestic example of the EXTREMELY RARE and elusive Reversed Dragon Pattern, this Dollar defies explanation and touches the heartstrings of any numismatist, particularly those enthralled with the Chinese series. One of the ultimate issues of the Qing Dynasty, the Pattern issues such as this example differ slightly from the popular adopted design (L&M-37). Of most stark note is the nature in which the dragon coils upward, being the inverse of adopted design. Additionally, the raised veins on the outer leaves delineate this example from other pattern issues. The specimen nature of the strike is immediately evident, with a crisp execution of the refined details, and the die lines from polish being seen in the fields. A swirling and wonderous luster sloshes off the surfaces, with golden and apricot toing overlaying.
To read the complete lot description, see:
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Wayne Homren, Editor The Numismatic Bibliomania Society is a non-profit organization promoting numismatic literature. See our web site at coinbooks.org. To submit items for publication in The E-Sylum, write to the Editor at this address: whomren@gmail.com To subscribe go to: https://my.binhost.com/lists/listinfo/esylum All Rights Reserved. NBS Home Page Contact the NBS webmaster 
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