Republic Sun Yat-sen silver Pattern "Mausoleum" Dollar Year 16 (1927) AU58 NGC, Nanking mint, Kann-609, L&M-85, Chang-CH168 (Rare), WS-0130, Wenchao-898 (rarity 3 stars), Shi Jiagan Collection-593. Mintage: 480. By Richard Placht. Minted in Nanking from dies prepared in Vienna. An incredible and cherished Pattern today, and yet one whose rarity very much depended on contemporary disapproval. Designed while Sun Yat-sen's mausoleum was still under construction, it is highly unlikely that the artist had ever visited the site, let alone journeyed to China, resulting in a grossly inaccurate depiction of the beloved doctor, which Kann likens to a portrait of Paul von Hindenburg, along with a number of omissions from the mausoleum itself. Coupled with the fact that its already extremely low mintage was likely meant to serve as gifts, few have survived to the present day at all. Still quite glossy in the outer registers, this piece retains harvest gold highlights around the characters, with just a scattering of wisps bounding the assigned designation. From the Rulin Wei Collection

HID09801242017

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