Two Hong Kong Brockages and other items of interest by Rod Sell

I seriously started collecting coins in the late 1970s.  Since I had grown up in Hong Kong and had some Hong Kong
currency, it was where I concentrated.  I expanded into British East Asia shortly afterwards, as the coinage, especially
the silver coinage of the Victorian period, was used in all the eastern Colonies and in China.

In those day obtaining coins and information on coins, was not easy.  There were not that many books or catalogues
readily available.  I managed to get on the mailing lists of quite a few coin dealer around the world, and soon built up a
nice little collection.  In one of their listings Format of Birmingham had a list of the Rare British Colonial Coins (less
than 100 known).  Hong Kong had 10 coins in that list, plus there were others from The Straits Settlements and Sarawak.

Over the next 3 decades I managed to almost get a date set of Hong Kong and Straits Settlements in high grade.
Most have been sold at auction over the past 15 years.

I still have a nice collection of the medals, and other items of interest, from these Countries.

What is a Brockage.
A brockage is an error.

It happens when a struck coin, sticks to the die and becomes the die for the next coin or coins.
The next coin then has two of the same image, except one is an incused mirror image.

Full brockages, the first few strikes when the stuck coin is used as the die, are rare.
Dies are made from hardened steel.  The coins are of softer different metals and are quickly flattened when used as a die.

A Hong Kong Queen Victoria obverse Brockage.
I managed to win Lot 70 in the Noble Auction 49 in November 1995.

The next question was to try to identify the year.

There are three types of Hong Kong Queen Victoria 1 cents coins.

Type 1 1863 to 1876 has 3 pearls in the centre arch of the crown
 

Type 3 1879 to 1901 has 5 pearls in the centre arch of the crown.

My  Brockage coin has seen some circulation, however you can see the tuft of hair  on the obverse of the coin.  Looking at
the brockage side you can see there are 3 pearls in the centre of the crown.  So it is a Type 2 variety, 1877 to 79.


A Hong Kong $1 1960 Reverse Brockage

This copper nickel coin has seen very little circulation.  The incused brockage image is much more striking on the coin
as you can see it impressed in the metal.


It is not often that you find a brockage on an ancient hammered coin.  The minter must have been distracted during the process.


Hong Kong 1902 King Edward VII Coronation Medal

Bronze 40mm medal.  The Seal of Hong Kong is shown on the reverse.
The Governor at the time was Sir Henry Blake.  He was Governor from 25th November 1898 to 21st November 1903.
The Bauhinia blakeana flower became the emblem for Hong Kong  in 1965, it is the obverse for current Hong Kong coins.
Sir Henry and his wife Edith were keen botanists. 
During his Governorship in 1898 the New Territories were leased from China for 99 years.

Hong Kong 1919 Peace Medal

White Metal 35mm.  Strange it is dated 1919 and Britannia has an Asian appearance.

Hong Kong 1953 Queen Elizabeth II Coronation Medal

Plastic 29mm.  The Clock Tower on the reverse, is at the Kowloon side of the Star Ferry. 
It is actually in the Station of the Kowloon to Canton Railway.

Hong Kong 1977 Silver Jubilee Queen Elizabeth II Medal

A 28mm copper nickel medal.  PM initials below the neck.


A 32mm silver plated medal with HK skyline, Kowloon Clock Tower & Bauhenia Flower on obvers.
Lucky Dragon on reverse.


A 32mm silver plated medal with almost similar obverse to above medal.
Chinese Opera figures on reverse.

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