MONDAY, JULY 14, 1975
MAJOR HK CURRENCY EXHIBITION TO MARK OPENING OF HONG KONG MUSEUM OF HISTORY THIS
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FRIDAY
THE NEW $2 AND 20-CENT COINS WILL MAKE THEIR FIRST PUBLIC APPEARANCE IN THE HONG KONG CURRENCY EXHIBITION IN THE HONG KONG MUSEUM OF HISTORY WHICH WILL BE OPENED BY THE GOVERNOR, SIR MURRAY MACLEHOSE, ON FIRDAY, THE EXHIBITION MARKS THE OPENING OF THE MUSEUM IN STAR HOUSE, TSIM SHA TSUI.
ON DISPLAY WILL BE A COMPLETE SET OF HONG KONG'S COINAGE THROUGHOUT ITS 134 YEARS HISTORY, INCLUDING THE TWO NEW SCALLOP-EDGE COINS WHICH WILL COME INTO CIRCULATION NEXT MONTH.
THE COIN DISPLAY TRACES CHRONOLOGICALLY THE DEVELOPMENT OF HONG KONG'S COINAGE FROM 1841 WHEN THE TERRITORY WAS CEDED TO BRITAIN, AND FEATURES SUCH VINTAGE COINS AS THE SPANISH SILVER DOLLAR, THE BRITISH EMPIRE STERLING, THE MEXICAN SILVER DOLLAR, THE INDIAN RUPEE, THE CHINESE SILVER BAR AND COPPER CENT WHICH CIRCULATED IN HONG KONG FOR MANY YEARS DURING ITS EMBRYONIC STAGE.
IT WAS NOT UNTIL 1863 THAT THE GOVERNMENT STARTED ISSUING
ITS OWN COINS DEARING THE MARK +HONG KONG+.
THE FIRST SET OF LOCAL COINAGE WITH THE PORTRAIT OF QUEEN VICTORIA ON THE OBVERSE SIDE COMPRISES A SILVER TEN-CENT, A BRONZE ONE CENT AND A BRONZE MIL (ONE TENTH OF A CENT).
FIVE OTHER COINS -- FIVE-CENT, 20-CENT, 50-CENT, HALF DOLLAR AND $1 WERE ADDED TO THE SERIES IN LATER STAGES. THESE WILL ALSO BE ON DISPLAY.
THE YEAR 1866 SAW A MAJOR DEVELOPMENT IN THE HISTORY OF LOCAL COINAGE WITH THE OPENING OF THE HONG KONG MINT TO CONVERT SILVER BULLIONS INTO COINS FOR LOCAL BANKERS AND MERCHANTS.
THE HONG KONG MINT WAS SHORT LIVED HOWEVER. IT CLOSED DOWN TWO YEARS LATER BECAUSE LOCAL BUSINESSMEN COULD HARDLY AFFORD TO HAVE THEIR CAPITAL LYING IDLE IN THE MINT AT A TIME WHEN THE WORLD PRICE OF SILVER WAS SHOOTING UP..
A PHOTOGRAPH OF THE MINT WHICH WAS HOUSED IN AN IMPRESSIVE BRICK AND IRON STRUCTURE NEAR THE PRESENT SITE OF DAIMARU DEPARTMENT STORE IN CAUSEWAY BAY WILL BE DISPLAYED AT THE SHOW.
IN THE ENSUING YEARS, THE VALUE OF SILVER GRADUALLY RETURNED TO ITS PREVIOUS LEVEL AND THIS LED TO THE MUSHROOMING OF SILVER DOLLARS ISSUED BY BRITAIN, THE UNITED STATES, FRANCE, HOLLAND, JAPAN AND AUSTRIA FOR USE IN HONG KONG AND IN TRADE WITH CHINA.
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