Historic Chinese Rarity Certified by PMG Offered by Spink
Posted on 3/24/2026
A record-breaking Chinese banknote is back in the spotlight as it joins more than 200 Asian rarities certified by PMG® in a pair of upcoming auction sessions. Online bidding is already underway for Spink’s CSS123A - Hong Kong and World Banknotes and Coins, which concludes April 8, 2026, and CSS123B - China Banknotes and Coins, which concludes April 9.
The top lot in these auction sessions is a China, Kwangsi Bank 1909 1 Yuan graded PMG 15 Choice Fine (Session B, lot 1089), with an estimate of HKD360,000 to HKD420,000 (about $46,000 to $54,000). It is dated with the second year of the reign of Puyi, the last emperor of China at the close of the Qing dynasty. A highly important rarity in Chinese monetary history, this particular banknote once held the record for Chinese paper money sold in a Spink auction. According to the auction house, there are only three of these exceedingly rare banknotes known to exist today.
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Other PMG-certified notes in these auction sessions include:
- a Hong Kong 1912 100 Dollars Color Trial Specimen graded PMG 64 Choice Uncirculated (Session A, lot 120), with an estimate of HKD220,000 to HKD350,000 (about $28,000 to $45,000)
- a Hong Kong, Mercantile Bank of India, Ltd. 1941 5 Dollars graded PMG 50 About Uncirculated EPQ (Session A, lot 101), with an estimate of HKD200,000 to HKD300,000 (about $25,000 to $38,000)
- a China / People's Republic 1949 20 Yuan graded PMG 64 Choice Uncirculated EPQ (Session B, lot 1135), with an estimate of HKD170,000 to HKD200,000 (about $22,000 to $25,000)
- a China, Hong Kong & Shanghai Banking Corporation 1914-20 10 Dollars graded PMG 50 About Uncirculated EPQ (Session B, lot 1064), with an estimate of HKD100,000 to HKD180,000 (about $13,000 to $23,000)
- a Hong Kong, Hong Kong & Shanghai Banking Corporation 1879-89 1 Dollar graded PMG 35 Choice Very Fine EPQ (Session A, lot 124), with an estimate of HKD80,000 to HKD110,000 (about $10,000 to $14,000)
- a China, Chinese-American Bank of Commerce 1920 10 Dollars graded PMG 30 Very Fine (Session B, lot 1061), with an estimate of HKD60,000 to HKD80,000 (about $7,600 to $10,000)
- a China, Chinese-American Bank of Commerce 1920 1 Dollar graded PMG 45 Choice Extremely Fine (Session B, lot 1060), with an estimate of HKD50,000 to HKD70,000 (about $6,400 to $8,900)
- a China, Pei-Yang Tientsin Bank ND (ca. 1910) 3 Dollars graded PMG 64 Choice Uncirculated EPQ (Session B, lot 1096), with an estimate of HKD40,000 to HKD60,000 (about $5,100 to $7,600)
- a Romania, Banca Nationala 2019 100 Lei Commemorative - Serial Number 1 graded PMG 67 Superb Gem Uncirculated EPQ (Session A, lot 306), with an estimate of HKD30,000 to HKD40,000 (about $3,800 to $5,100)
- a Malaysia, Bank Negara ND (1976-81) 1,000 Ringgit Specimen graded PMG 58 Choice About Uncirculated EPQ (Session A, lot 276), with an estimate of HKD15,000 to HKD25,000 (about $1,900 to $3,200)
Estimates are provided by the auction house. The $ symbol indicates US Dollars.