Hiyas. I have a question regarding the above given coins. Having lived in Hong Kong for about 4 years in the 70s, I have some coins in my collection so i began to organize them.
Thinking I had a full set I suddenly realized something I had not noticed before. Three distinct and different images of the Queen upon the coins. It would seem one image was for around the 70s, one for the 80s, and one for the 90s (only a guess from the dates of the coins I have).
I have placed these in the order of 70's, 80's, and 90's as an image tells a thousand words.
So do I have this right that I should be able to collect a full set (5c right up to 5 dollar coin) of each Queen type? Therefore three sets of Hong Kong coins pre the handover?
Collector of Third Reich coins (1933 - 1946), and Australian coins.
Not swapping at this time.
As referee on Hong Kong coins and a self-declared expert on them, I think I can help answer your questions!
The first bust by Cecil Thomas was used on Hong Kong (and many other British colonial issues) from approximately 1955 to 1975; you can find 5, 10, 50 cent and 1 dollar coins bearing this portrait from HK. That 5 cent coin was issued up to 1980.
The second bust by Arnold Machin was used on Hong Kong (and also many UK early decimal issues) from approximately 1975-1984; there are 10, 20, 50 cent and 1, 2, and 5 dollar coins bearing this portrait from HK, with no 5 cent coin with Machin's bust. The 1 Dollar is reduced in size from the 1960-75 first portrait type, and 5 Dollars with this bust were at first octagonal but later round (with a lettered security edge).
The third bust by Maklouf was used on Hong Kong coins (and most contemporary UK issues) from approximately 1985-1992; there are 5, 10, 20, 50 cent and 1, 2, and 5 dollar coins bearing this portrait from HK. The 5 cent with Maklouf's bust was issued only in 1988 and is apparently very rare, with all the other issues being quite common.
From 1993 onwards coins without Queen Elizabeth II's bust were issued in anticipation of the handover in 1997. All information I derived from my Hong Kong type set, correct me if I'm wrong on anything; most of these coins are very common and cheap, with the exception of that 1988 5 cents, so you shouldn't have any trouble putting together a type set of late colonial Hong Kong coins. I'm pretty sure the coins of the last two busts still circulate alongside post-Handover coins in HK today. Hong Kong colonial coinage is one of the most interesting in my opinion; how such a tiny colony has as many colonial-era issues as post Company rule British India.
Cita: "Kipsley"Oh my gosh!! Thank you. With your permission I will copy/paste all this so as to have it with the coins as a reference.
THANK YOU!!!!
Kipsley, working from the Krause catalog, it looks like there are a few scarce coins that you should hunt as you assemble your collection:
1. The 5 cents coin of 1980 has a high mintage, but is reported as "Not Issued", with no established value.
2. The 10 cents coin of 1980 is scarce, since only about 3,500 were released into circulation.
3. Each of the following coins should have a "security edge" (reeded edge, with a line through it), but errors are documented as reeded edge, without the security devices:
a. Five cents, 1958 H and 1960
b. Ten cents, 1956 and 1963
c. Fifty cents, 1958 H
d. Dollar, 1960 H
In the Numista catalog, the errors that I listed are included with the general type; in the Krause catalog, the errors have a different type number than the security edge issues.
I did miss a key date coin on the list that I gave you above--the five cents 1964 H.
The reason that I became of this was, when I opened my April 2018 issue of The Numismatist (the monthly magazine of the American Numismatic Association), I found an article on page 89 about counterfeit detection of the Hong Kong 5 Cents 1964 H.
NGC indicates that it has received an increase in the number of fake coins of this date in recent months.
Ironically, the coin they show as an altered date 1964 H does not appear to have an H mintmark!
Cita: "halfdisme"I did miss a key date coin on the list that I gave you above--the five cents 1964 H.
The reason that I became of this was, when I opened my April 2018 issue of The Numismatist (the monthly magazine of the American Numismatic Association), I found an article on page 89 about counterfeit detection of the Hong Kong 5 Cents 1964 H.
NGC indicates that it has received an increase in the number of fake coins of this date in recent months.
Ironically, the coin they show as an altered date 1964 H does not appear to have an H mintmark!
True, 1964 5 cents are valued over HK$10k (in HK market) in UNC. So no surprise counterfeits exists for this year
