拍品描述： 民国三年袁世凯像壹圆七分脸银样币。CHINA. Silver Dollar Pattern, Year 3 (1914). NGC Unc Details--Cleaned.

民国三年袁世凯像壹圆七分脸银样币。L. Giorgi签字版样币。极罕。清洗痕迹极不明显，主为数处模具经抛光的痕迹。此枚存世稀少，实是将珍品纳入襄中的绝佳机会！<p><em>此设计于正面右下方的签名常被误解，事实上存在两个主要版别，均由雕刻师 Luigi Giorgi设计。此枚打铸时间较早，统称为"霜面精制版"，底版处可见明显的模具抛光条纹。正因模具自身的瑕疵，后期被改良为第二版的"镜面精制版"。仔细检阅两款版别，有些抛光线同时出现于两款的底板上。而且对比袁世凯肩章附近的L. Giorgi签名，霜面的签名更为饱满完整，而镜面的一版许多时候均有从缺。正因如此，可以推断出两版的先后铸打顺序。在改良霜面模具时，铸币厂需要进行打磨的工序，致使设计的部分细节有所缺失。两版模具相同但币面却截然不同，饶有趣味，资深藏家可细味两版之别，增添收藏之乐。

CHINA. Silver Dollar Pattern, Year 3 (1914). NGC Unc Details--Cleaned.L&M-73; K-643a; KM-Pn33; WS-0167; Wenchao-pg. 535#859 (rarity four stars); Shanghai Museum-Mr. Shi Jiagans collection-pg. 138#634; Sun-III-2-14. Signed by L. Giorgi. A and always desirable pattern type, this example exhibits very little in the way of the noted cleaning and instead displays numerous aspects of die polishing. A great opportunity for an incredibly difficult coin.<p><em>Often misunderstood, this issue -- which displays the L. Giorgi signature at the lower righthand side of the obverse -- was actually struck in two sequences, with the results being easily identifiable varieties.

This type, the so-called "matte proof variety", was the first struck, and it exhibits surfaces that are dull with significant heavy die polish lines running through the fields. Likely as a result of its appearance, the dies were then significantly reworked in order to produce a coin with more traditional reflective fields; this issue can be termed the "brilliant proof variety". Upon close study of the two varieties together, one can match some of the die polish lines on both varieties. Also, when comparing Yuan Shih-kais epaulet near L. Giorgis signature, its appearance on the matte proof version will always be full, while significant detail is missing on the brilliant variety. It is this detail loss, as well as other more minor instances, that proves the striking sequence for these varieties. One must conclude that in the process of reworking the matte-finished dies to make dies that would produce a reflective coin, the polishing resulted in some detail loss in the dies. Because of this, collectors today can seek both varieties of this elusive type, and marvel at the fact that two coins from the same set of dies can have such a dramatically different appearance.