An 1889 Chinese Kwangtung reverse pattern copper dollar achieved $150,000 in Heritage Auctions' World Coins Signature sale in Hong Kong on June 24.
 The coin was minted in China using British machinery |
The coin differs from the final issue in its positioning of the letters around the edge.
Heritage explained: "After the design was finalized and the legends moved, it would become the first dragon dollar to be struck on modernized equipment in China, and thus became the standard for all the provincial dragon dollars that would follow.
"As such, this coin's importance in shaping modern Chinese coinage cannot be understated."
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