"Security edge" designed to discourage the would-be counterfeiter was first introduced in the five and ten cent nickel coins minted in 1937. Coins bearing the mint-mark KN minted by the King's Norton Metal Co., Ltd. first appeared in 1939, after which no nickel ten cent coins were struck and the five cent nickel coins, although once again minted in 1941, was never issued as a result of the war with Japan. This was true of the bronze cent also struck in 1941.
During the Japanese Occupation from December 1941 to August 1945, all available stocks of coins were confisticated and sent to Japan where they were melted down for their metal. These almost certainly included a consignment of the one cent bronze coins dated 1941 as it was recorded by the Royal Mint London that five million of the coin was minted and shipped to Hong Kong in five consignments, two in August 1941, and one each in the following months. Because of the war, the October consigment of 895,000 coins was unloaded in South Africa and the coins were subsequently returned to the Mint for melting down. The fate of the other four shipments was unknown and so are the remainder of the 5 million coins. This accounts for the rarity of the coin today, despite the large number minted.
At the end of the war, there were no stock of coins available for Hong Kong, and to remedy this, the Government issued large quantities of paper notes ranging from one cent to one dollar in their face value. The issue of coins was however revived as from 1948 and the issues of a total range of four denominations of one dollar, fifty, ten and five cents were completed by 1960. Security edge is no longer used on these denominated coins minted after 1970. It is replaced by either plain or milled edge.
In 1975, Government accepted the recommendations of the Coinage Review Committee and carried out a currency reform of local coinage issues, with particular reference to the denomination, design, size, weight, metal content and shape of any new and replacement coins, taking into consideration the costs, ease of handling, storage, price patterns, coin-receiving machines and meters, counterfeiting risks and the future relationship between coins and notes in circulation. As a result, a total of seven coins of different shapes and metal contents, with denominations of five, two and one dollars, fifty, twenty, ten and five cents, have since been made available for general circulation in Hong Kong.
In May 1975, a gold coin of $1,000 was issued in limited quantities in both uncirculated and proof conditions by the Government, commemorating the first Royal Visit in Hong Kong of a reigning monarch of Great Britain, Queen Elizabeth II. This is the first issue of gold coin as legal tender in the history of Hong Kong regal coinage It is to be followed with an annual issue of the same denominated gold coins commemorating the twelve animals associated with the Lunar
Year of the Chinese calendar from 1976 to 1987, together with o special issue to commemorate a significant event to complete the of fourteen gold coins of Hong Kong.
Today all pre-war coins of Hong Kong as well as those issued pri to 1975 with the exception of the five cent nickel-brass coin first minte in 1958, are no longer legal tender. Their only value is in their metall: content and historical background, as well as their interest to the coi collectors.
MINT MARKS
All Hong Kong regal coins have been minted at various times according to demand in five different mints: the Royal Mint, London; the Hong Kong Mint; James Watt and Co., Soho, Birmington; R. Heaton & Sons Ltd. (now the Mint, Birmingham Ltd.); and the King's Norton Metal Co., Ltd. Only coins struck at the latter two mints bear mint marks to show their source. These consist of letters "H" and "KN" respectively, and can be located on various denominations in five different positions:
(1) Victoria
(2) Victoria
(3) Edward VII
(4) George VI
(5) Elizabeth II
50, 20, 10 & 5 cents; below the Queen's neck on the obverse
1 cent; above the hyphen of "Hong-Kong" on the
reverse
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5 & 1 cent and George V one cent; below the hyphen
10 & 5 cents & Elizabeth II 50, 10 & 5 cents; below or beside the value on the reverse Dollar, below "LL" of "Dollar" on the reverse
The use of mint marks has been discontinued since 1972 and coins of that year were the last to bear mint mark.
RARITY
It is extremely difficult nowadays for collectors to achieve a complete date set (one coin of each type and each date issued) of Hong Kong regal coins as many silver twenty cent coins issued prior to 1885 tend to be very scarce, particularly in grades above very fine, and the eleven rare coins listed below are almost impossible to be collected in any gradings and conditions:
(1) Victoria ten cents 1864 (2) Victoria one mil 1864
Both these coins are exceedingly rare and apparently were never issued. Although the published mintage figure for both coins is large, it is the consensus of opinion that they refer to part of an
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