A Rare Chinese Szechuan Province Silver Minor - 1912 10 Cents - Choice and Toned AU 58 (PCGS)

CHINA (Republic)| Szechuan Province | 1912 (民國元年) 10 Cents (一角 )| An Elusive and Rare Minor, Lovely Gunmetal Tone + Oranges with Luster! | Choice AU with Light Handling, Sharp Strike, and Clear Characters | PCGS AU 58 (VERY RARE in this Preservation!)

Hi everyone! Today, as I wrap up my semester and prepare for graduation on the 11th of May, I would like to share this piece that arrived today! This piece is an elusive minor and the smallest denomination of the 1912 series from Szechuan.

This piece is incredibly rare when offered in upper AU grades, and of course, straight graded. We note that this piece is graded AU 58 by PCGS and there are 4 higher and 3 in AU 58, and we note that NGC only has AU 55 as the grade for their “top pop” coin. Furthermore, it is key to find these pieces not only in choice AU grades, but also problem free, as many are cleaned or scratched and hence, discounts their value greatly. Moreover, we see that many of these pieces auctioned are in the XF to even VF ranges, which show the conditional rarity element to this elusive minor of an early, Republican era Szechuan. These 10 cents are by far, rarer than the normal, non-disconnected 金 dollars or yuans of the same year. ⭐️

This piece features a strong strike of both the characters and the denticles, which is key to differentiating the higher grade pieces from lower grade types. Moreover, there is just a faint evidence of wear and that the tone is what pops off on this coin. It is elegant and even with grayish or gunmetal tone contrasted with the oranges (vibrant) on the peripheries (e.g., the denticles). The tone is even, with deepening of color towards the rims.The eye appeal is, of course, enhanced by the cartwheel luster on this lightly circulated and near-mint piece.

Lastly, for authentication, it is good to compare the dies of this piece with other pieces, and we see some die breaks and markers on certain characters, as well as some raised blobs from the die on areas such as the one next to the 四 on the obverse. There are also some raised globs that help ascertain authenticity.

Price References: Stack's Bowers AU 58 in the Rarities Night (April 2023 Hong Kong Auction)

References: Lin and Ma 369, Krause 789, Krause Y-453, WS-0785.

 

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That's a beautiful coin, Anthony.

Congratulations on graduating! Which school?

 

Thank you! Graduated from UNC Chapel Hill! So glad to acquire this days before my commencement!

 

Close Up Macro Imaging!

 

Even in lower grade, this isn't a common coin to start off with. Nice one!

 

Thank you so much!

 

Incredible coin, and a great rarity. Only 4 higher...
Did you win this one at the recent Stacks Bowers Hong Kong auction?

And congratulations on completing your degree!

 

Thank you for your kind words, MLOV! Love your Korean stuff. I was also impressed with its rarity, especially condition wise and of course, via the eye appeal factor. And I did not get this via any auction!

Thank you for the graduation comments! Appreciate it!

 

Now you are officially alumni. Congratulations Tar Heel!

 

Thank you and Go Heels!

 

Being a college student must pay better than when I was in school.

 

Hehe, thank you! Juggling my academia with coins, I guess!

 

Found my answer on college. Congrats! What did you study and what’s next?

 

Great! Good to meet you!