Paper Money Guaranty® (PMG) has certified the collection of Yih-Tzong Hsu, a Taiwanese professor who is a leading collector and researcher of Chinese banknotes. The PMG-certified collection of nearly 300 Chinese notes — dozens of them Specimens and Proofs — will be sold by Spink in Hong Kong on January 3-4, 2020.
The centerpiece of this collection is a very rare China 1975 2 Yuan Proof, a type that was never released for circulation. Graded PMG 62 Uncirculated, it has an estimate of HK$1,250,000 to HK$2,200,000 (about $160,000 to $280,000 USD).
The note features Wang Jinxi, an oil worker who helped develop the Daqing Oil Field in northeastern China into a world-class facility. His blue-collar heroics to prevent a well blowout there in the early 1960s earned him the respect of China’s communist leaders, who made him a national labor model in 1967. He died of cancer in 1970.
This PMG-certified Hsu Collection is searchable in an online PMG image gallery. The notes date from the People’s Republic of China, which was established in 1949, as well as from the Republic era that preceded it. Explore the image gallery at PMGnotes.com/hsu.
The Spink auction of the Hsu Collection also features a pair of uniface China People’s Republic 1949 5 Yuan Specimens of a design that was never issued. One with serial number 000085 is graded PMG 40 Extremely Fine NET, while another with serial number 000061 is graded PMG 40 Extremely Fine. They are being offered as a single lot, with an estimate of HK$100,000 to HK$350,000 (about $13,000 to $45,000 USD).
Other highlights from the January auction include:
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a China 1953 10 Yuan Specimen graded PMG 63 Choice Uncirculated, with an estimate of HK$70,000 to HK$100,000 (about $9,000 to $13,000 USD)
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a China 1923 $50 Specimen graded PMG 63 Choice Uncirculated and five uniface progressive proofs of the obverse for the same note graded PMG 64 Choice Uncirculated EPQ to PMG 66 Gem Uncirculated EPQ, with an estimate for the entire lot of HK$70,000 to HK$150,000 (about $9,000 to $19,000 USD)
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a China 1953 5 Yuan Specimen graded PMG 64 Choice Uncirculated, with an estimate of HK$30,000 to HK$50,000 (about $3,800 to $6,400 USD)
Founded in 2005, PMG is the world’s largest and most trusted third-party paper money grading service, with more than 4.5 million banknotes certified. Every note that PMG certifies is backed by the comprehensive PMG Guarantee of authenticity and grade, which gives buyers greater confidence. This results in higher prices realized and greater liquidity for PMG-certified notes. To learn more, visit PMGnotes.com.
