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50 Cents - Victoria
| Issuer | Hong Kong |
|---|---|
| Year | 1890-1894 |
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| Value | Log in to see details |
| Currency | Dollar (1863-date) |
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| Diameter | Log in to see details |
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|---|---|
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| Reverse description | Central motif consisting of a raised circular inner circle containing the large denomination numeral '50' above the word 'CENTS' in bold serif lettering, the numeral digits featuring engine-turned horizontal line engraving within their forms. Surrounding the inner circle, the upper peripheral legend reads '· HONGKONG · 1894 ·' in Latin characters, while four large Chinese characters are disposed in the four quadrants of the outer field — 香 and 港 flanking the circle at upper left and right respectively, and 半 and 圓 at lower left and right — together reading 香港半圓 (Hong Kong Half Dollar). The entire design is enclosed within a beaded border. |
| Reverse script | Chinese, Latin |
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| Additional information |
Hong Kong's 50-cent silver coinage of this period was produced at the Royal Mint in London, with branch operations later shifting to the Heaton Mint in Birmingham — the two sources distinguished in the catalog as KM#9.1 and KM#9.2 respectively. The Heaton pieces carry an "H" mintmark. Colonial silver at this weight was calibrated to circulate alongside the Mexican peso and various trade dollars flooding South China's ports, all competing for acceptance in a market that valued silver by bullion content above any issuing authority's guarantee.