Crossing the Block: Different Shades of Gold!

By Jeff Lubinski, Numismatist

I see hundreds of amazing pieces every week.  Here are a few coins that might otherwise be overlooked.  This week as I was going through our offerings for our upcoming August Hong Kong Sale (Aug. 19-22) I came across some of the coolest coins I’ve ever seen.  The first is a 2003 Chinese gold 50 Yuan commemorative for the goddess Guanyin.  Most amazing is the fact that the obverse is a hologram and displays an eye appealing blend of vibrant green to red to blue and every shade in between.  Without a loupe the color looks very fluid in its transitions.  Under magnification the fluid blend of colors becomes an array of pixels, like a computer monitor; each displays its own shade at different angles.  The coin itself is 1/10 of an ounce of gold.  The best part is that we have not one, but three, all graded PF70 Ultra Cameo by NGC.  The coins will be featured as lots 60661, 60662, 60663 in the Internet Only Session of the Hong Kong Sale.

The second offering is another Chinese gold hologram, a 2004 gold 200 Yuan commemorating the 50^th Anniversary of the National People’s Congress.  This coin is double sealed in original mint packaging with its original certificate of authenticity and contains a full half ounce of gold.  Like the Guanyin holograms, this Congress commemorative displays a vivid array of colors when rotated.  This coin has an interesting dotted obverse that is surprisingly pleasing to the eye, and is very different from the style of hologram featured on the Guanyin coins.  This coin will be featured as lot 52608 in our August Hong Kong Sale.