Hong Kong's mil denominations were never popular in circulation — merchants found them practically useless, and the public largely ignored them. These 1862–63 trial strikes predate the decision to formally abandon the mil as a circulating unit, placing them at the exact moment the colonial administration was still debating whether the denomination was worth pursuing at all. The multiple pattern references reflect several distinct die and compositional trials conducted across that window, none of which resulted in a coin the public ever spent.
Hong Kong's mil denominations were never popular in circulation — merchants found them practically useless, and the public largely ignored them. These 1862–63 trial strikes predate the decision to formally abandon the mil as a circulating unit, placing them at the exact moment the colonial administration was still debating whether the denomination was worth pursuing at all. The multiple pattern references reflect several distinct die and compositional trials conducted across that window, none of which resulted in a coin the public ever spent.