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1 Dollar - Victoria
| Issuer | Hong Kong |
|---|---|
| Year | 1866-1868 |
| Type | Standard circulation coin |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Diameter | Log in to see details |
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| Obverse description | Log in to see details |
|---|---|
| Obverse script | Latin |
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| Reverse description | Central design composed of a stylised Chinese decorative medallion featuring a quatrefoil cloud-scroll frame enclosing four Chinese characters (香, 壹, 港, 圓) arranged around a central circular fret motif. The peripheral English legend ONE DOLLAR arcs across the top and HONG KONG across the bottom, with the date to the right, all separated from the central device by a beaded inner circle. As on the obverse, the border is filled with a continuous Greek-key meander pattern, visually unifying both faces of the coin. |
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| Additional information |
Hong Kong's dollar coinage in the 1860s was a direct response to the chaos of competing currencies circulating in the colony — Mexican pesos, Spanish Carolus dollars, and various chopmarked trade coins all passed hand to hand with no consistent standard. The colonial government pushed for a local dollar to anchor commercial transactions, particularly with mainland Chinese merchants who distrusted unfamiliar foreign issues. The Royal Mint's branch in Hong Kong, which opened in 1866, was established specifically to produce this coin.
The mint proved a financial disaster almost immediately. Operating costs far exceeded revenue, and the branch was shuttered in 1868 — the same year this type ceased production. Dies and equipment were eventually sold to Japan, where they contributed to early Meiji-era coinage infrastructure.