xcessively Rare First Year of Issue Chihli Dollar Chihli. Kuang-hsü Dollar Year 22 (1896) UNC Details (Cleaned) NGC, Pei Yang Arsenal mint, KM-Y65, L M-439, Kann-181, WS-0603, Wenchao-606 (rarity 4 stars), Chang Foundation-51. 26.98gm. Mintage: 3,000. Quite easily the rarest dollar of the entire Chihli series, this dollar represents the first "modernized" issue of the Pei Yang Arsenal mint, struck as part of a decimalized system that would continue until 1899, when the 7 Mace 2 Candareens standard was adopted, just prior to the destruction of the mint during the Boxer Rebellion. Frequently found with post-mint problems, the already low proposed mintage of just 3,000 pieces propels the type to a position of extreme scarcity, bolstered here by a lavish degree of detail even in spite of the noted cleaning, with traces of satiny finish remaining close to the devices. The last representative that we offered, an AU Details (Altered Surfaces), achieved an impressive $71,700 in our December 2016 HKINF sale 3050, and with the rise in collector interest in vintage Chinese coins in recent years, coupled with the fact that straight-graded Mint State examples frequently break $100,000, we can only anticipate the strong interest that the present specimen will garner. Metal: Silver Diameter: 39mm