拍品描述： 庚子京局制造光绪元宝七钱二分银币。后铸样币。(t) CHINA. Silver 7 Mace 2 Candareens (Dollar) Pattern Restrike, "CD (1900)" (ca. 1920-30). Private Mint in Shanghai (from English dies meant for Peking). Kuang-hsu (Guangxu). NGC MS-62.

珍稀度：★★★★。极罕见的原模后铸版，令人惊歎。自2015年4月香港拍卖以来首次经手之同版佳品，当时一枚NGC MS-63以125,000美元成交（编号10197）。近精选品相，枪灰色包浆深浅变幻，极其诱人，文字书体清晰雅致，尽显样币风范。英文书体衬线外展，饰以横槓，与湖南铜元等同期西方样式风格相类。龙图亦与常见者微有不同，风格化云朵作为英文面额与“PEKING”铸造厂铭文之间的分隔符——此种设计为中国近代系列中所仅见。 北京系列无疑是帝国时期机制币中最罕见的系列之一，即使是重铸版（如本拍品）亦相当稀有。此系列始于1900年，旨在作为中央造币厂系列与各省龙洋并行流通。模具在英国制作，运至北京造币厂，试铸了少量五种面值的样币，边缘光滑并刻有序列号。

关于北京系列的命运，各方记载略有出入，但大体一致：1900/1年义和团运动期间，北京造币厂运作两年后被毁，一套模具（有说五种，有说四种）被工人救出。模具几经转手，最终落入上海一钱币商手中。据传该币商（主要在民国中期）开始铸造少量重铸币。重铸币特徵为齿边及模具生鏽导致的币面凹坑，本拍品多处可见此特徵。 北京系列银币，纵非最罕，亦堪称帝国时期机器铸币中最珍稀者之一。虽有后铸版（如本品）存世，然同样罕见。此系列始铸于光绪二十六年（1900年），为中央造币厂计划发行，拟与各省龙洋并行流通。模具由英国制成，运抵北京银元局，曾铸造少量五枚面值成套之银币，币边光边并刻有阴文编号。初铸之后，文献对于北京系列命运之记载略有分歧，然大致皆认同以下经过：庚子之乱（1900-1901年）期间，成立仅约两年之北京银元局遭毁，一套模具（说法不一，或谓全套五枚，或谓仅四枚）为厂内工人“救出”。此后，该模具几经转手买卖，最终落入上海一钱币商之手。此钱币商（据多数记载，约至民国中期）开始铸造少量后制版套币。此类后铸版可藉其齿边及模具生鏽导致的币面凹坑辨识，本拍品多处可见此特徵。

L&M-6A; K-233 (no distinction between originals and restrikes); WS-0010 (same); Wenchao-73 (rarity: ★★★★). An EXCEPTIONALLY RARE restrike type from original dies, this stunningly attractive and impressive crown represents the first such instance of the type since our April 2015 Hong Kong Auction (Lot # 10197), an NGC MS-63 that realized a hammer of $125,000. Alluringly hued a delightful gunmetal gray that varies subtly in its intensity, this nearly-Choice offering presents intense crispness and elegance in the lettering and calligraphy indicative of its pattern status. In fact, the English letter forms feature flared serifs and decorative crossbars that parallel other western patterns of the era, such as the coppers of Hunan. Meanwhile, the dragon offers a slightly different appearance than those generally encountered, with stylized clouds acting as stops between the denomination in English and the "PEKING" mint designation--a reference otherwise not encountered in the vintage series.

The Peking series of coinage is easily one of rarest, </em>if not the rarest<em>, of all the imperial-era machine struck series, and although restrikes exist (such as the present specimen), they too are quite rare. These types were initiated in 1900 as a central mint series that was intended to circulate alongside the provincial dragon coinage, with the latter having been the normal currency throughout most of China for a little over the previous decade. The dies were prepared in England and sent to the Peking mint, where a small number of five denomination sets were struck with plain edges and incised serial numbers upon their edges. After this initial striking, references on the fate of the Peking series start to diverge slightly, but all of them seem to agree upon the following series of events. During the chaos of the Boxer Rebellion (1900/1), the Peking mint was destroyed after about two years of operation, with a set of dies (accounts differ, some say that it was a full set of five dies, while others say that it was only four dies) being "saved" by a worker there. From here, the dies were sold, traded, and passed through a few sets of hands before landing with a coin dealer in Shanghai. </em><em>This dealer (by most accounts, up through about the middle of the Republican era) began striking small quantities of restrike sets.</em><em> Such restrikes are identified by their reeded edges and pitting that is evident upon their surfaces from rusty areas of the dies, as we can see in various spots on this piece.</em>

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