CHINA - HUPEH - 10 CASH (1902-1905) - NGC MS66 BN - TOP POP

Chinese Empire, Hubei Province, copper 10 cash, struck between 1902 and 1905 under the Guangxu Emperor.

Obverse: coiled imperial dragon, flaming pearl at the centre, English legend HU-PEH PROVINCE above and TEN CASH below. Reverse: inscription in Chinese and Manchu characters, value "10 cash" and province name, central flower.

Retaining some of its original red colour, with a light brown patina. Mint State.

Top Pop: this is the only graded example!

Note: these Chinese provincial dragon coins were struck during the reign of the Guangxu Emperor (1875-1908), at a time when the final years of the Manchu Empire saw the emergence of modern coinage in the southern provinces. Hubei, whose capital Wuhan housed one of the most important mints in China, struck cash in large quantities, but examples preserved in Mint State with their original red are particularly rare. The presence of legends in English and Chinese reflects the forced opening of Imperial China to trade with the Western powers.