HONG KONG.- Spink held on 18th & 19th January 2014 in Hong Kong a diverse auction series offering an exceptional selection of rare stamps, covers, coins and banknotes of China and Hong Kong. The two-day sale attracted spirited bidding and strong prices were achieved.

The top lot, a 1884 cover to Germany that bears a rare combination of China Large Dragon stamp used in combination with Hong Kong stamps (to pay the overseas postage), sold for HK$1,080,000/US$138,462. The Large Dragon stamp is cancelled by the rare Kiukiang datestamp in red and is thought to be one of only three such examples of this postmark on cover.

Another crown jewel in the sale, the 1980 Year of the Monkey in a complete sheet of eighty, sold for HK$1,200,000/ US$153,846.

The 1949 Dah Tung Print, Flying Geese in bluish green without value fetched HK$504,000/ US$64,615. Centred a little low as usual and with good perforations all round, this is a stunning example of this great rarity of Chinese philately and is most probably the finest example of the six recorded in private hands. A magnificent stamp for the connoisseur.

In 1870, Hong Kong issued a 4c. stamp with the error of perforation 12½ instead of 14. This extraordinary 1871 cover to Scotland bears two examples of this popular and scarce stamp. There are only two covers bearing two examples of this stamp and one of them, cancelled in Shanghai, was offered in this auction which sold for HK$348,000/ US$44,615.

The sale series also offered an array of rare banknotes of China and Hong Kong. The highlight in this section was The Hong Kong and Shanghai Banking Corporation, specimen $100 featuring Chalon portrait of Queen Victoria at left (ca 1882) which sold for HK$696,000 / US$89,231, over three times the pre-sale high estimate.

Other important lots in the banknotes section:
The Chartered Bank of India, Australia & China $5 banknote (1 January 1879), serial number F/S 30144 Price: HK$504,000/ US$64,615.

Pei Yang Kin Fu Bank, specimen 10 taels, ND (1906/1910) with zero serial numbers Price: HK$480,000/ US$61,538

The Chartered Bank of India, Australia and China $50 banknote (July 1919), serial number O/C 116350 Price: HK$228,000/ US$29,231

The Chartered Bank of India, Australia and China, $10 banknote (1 July 1919), serial number N/B 220811 Price: HK$180,000/ US$23,077