PCGS Grades Rare Kiangnan Province Heaton Mint Pattern Dollar

During the Hong Kong Coin Show of April 2024, PCGS received an immensely rare Kiangnan Province Heaton Mint pattern dollar with plain edge. This coin was successfully encapsulated in our holder with a grade of SP66+CAM, marking the very first Cameo suffix designation assigned to a Chinese dragon pattern dollar with an SP prefix.

Among Qing Dynasty silver coinage, the early Kiangnan Province issues, colloquially known as the “Old Kiangnan” series, have always been a well-coveted series for vintage Chinese silver coin collectors. As such, the pattern strikes of this first series are of even greater rarity.

This specimen stands in its own right for its pristine condition. The contrast between the mirror-like surfaces and the lightly frosted devices gives this piece a cameo effect that is very difficult to come by for specimens of its era. The intricate designs of the dragon scales, claws and facial features, combined together with the overall strong relief effects of the devices, bring about an absolutely stunning level of eye appeal. It is certainly a privilege for PCGS to have graded this specimen, which originated from the celebrated Wa She Wong Collection, and this is undoubtedly a highly attractive coin for any top-end collector of Chinese dragon dollars.

The Kiangnan Mint was established in Kuang Hsu Year 23 (1897 A.D.) in Nanking, Kiangsu Province, with an east wing for minting silver coinage and a west wing for minting cash coinage. Interestingly, Kiangnan was not a province at the time – it was redrawn into the Kiangsu and Anhwei provinces, respectively, during the early years of Emperor Kangxi’s rule.

In preparation for the new Kiangnan Province coinage, the Heaton Mint in Birmingham, England, was commissioned to strike a handful of patterns for the upcoming designs, which consisted of the dollar, 50 cents, 20 cents, 10 cents, and 5 cents. These patterns were shipped together to Nanking with sets of dies for coin production. The Heaton patterns were struck with a plain edge, and a security edge was added to the dies of the business-strike coins, thus the edge bears a clear distinction between the two types. Auction records of this “Old Kiangnan” Heaton pattern also serve to highlight the significance of this coin to collectors. In December 2010 an example graded PR66 realized $390,000USD (including buyer’s premium). In December 2017, an example graded PR65 realized $240,000USD (with buyer’s premium).

PCGS is delighted to have encapsulated this coin. We feel that this beautiful pattern coin is very fitting for this first instance of an SP Cameo attribution for Chinese dragon coins. Thank you all for your continuous support, and we are excited to share more of these rarities with everyone in the future.