Rare 1954 Solids Coming Up for Auction in Hong Kong

News: Welcome to the Canadian Paper Money Forum.

Two lots of very desirable 1954 solid serial number notes are coming up for sale at Baldwin's auction in Hong Kong on August 28/29 (there is no indication whether or not the notes have been pressed). Here's the auction site:

http://www.the-saleroom.com/Catalogues/SaleDetails.aspx?eventId=2746695

The Lot Numbers are 1885 (est. US$1,000-1,200) and 1886 (est. US$1,200-1,500) but don't expect any bargains as Baldwin's are one of the world's most exclusive and prestigious auctioneers with a worldwide clientele.  Amongst other things, they have a 1927 Chinese gold coin estimated at $500,000 to $600,000 ....

http://www.the-saleroom.com/Catalogues/Item.aspx?itemId=5928536

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There's also a 1974 $2 on whatzatsiteagain? an RP 8888888 item number: 270262128816 and red too.

If I were an Asian dude with money to burn... but I'm just a dude who's been running up his line of credit.   

Does anyone have any idea how much these sold for?

 The set of solid #1s sold for US $ 5,500  + juice

 The solid #8s sold for  US $ 4,600  + juice

 I tried but didn't have deep enough pockets  !!!

Why  are  8888888 so  popular.  I  know that    in  Asian  culture that  it  ir  the  most  sought  after #.  is  it  popular  in  other  cultures 

Why  are  8888888 so  popular.  I  know that    in  Asian  culture that  it  ir  the  most  sought  after #.  is  it  popular  in  other  cultures 

Maybe that's why the items were auctioned off in Hong Kong.  I heard there are a lot of Asians there, probably even more than in Vancouver

The solid 1 digit radar rotator note has it all.

BA

punkys dad,

i was the under bidder on the RP8888888, i bid very high and still could not get it..i wanted it badly cuz i have two 1954 $2 B-R, K/U & T/R8888888 , i also have the bird series $2 EGT8888888, i used to have a 1974 $2 88888888, which i bought from Don Olmstead about 18 years ago and paid only C$95 for it..then about 15 years ago i donated it to a charity for the old people here in Toronto (it was auctioned for C$500 back then), i was in a mood to get the 1974 $2 back so badly that i was willing to pay "a bit extra"....i figure out, since i paid my other solid 8s "very cheap"..( the EGT88888888, i bought from Ebay a few years ago together with the EGT9888889 and paid C$500), the other 1954 $2 #8888888 i paid about C$250 each back then (about 14 years ago)..so i figured out i "can afford" to pay a bit extra trying to have a complete set of $2 from the 1954 to the bird series with #8888888....we know we can never get a 1935 & 1937 $2 in #8888888

it is not a matter of "asian dude with $$ to burn"...in Hong Kong, the maximum income tax rate is 16% and no sales tax, cuz the government manage their $$ so well and has a big surplus, in 2008, all proeperty owners do not have to pay their property tax for 1 year, have 1 month hydro cost rebate, senior citizen can have an extra C$400 cheuque from the govt (apart from the normal benefit) this year..so the chinese have more "spendable income" sort of saying...
while in canada here, a normal person has to pay about 30% of their income after the Tax, Unemployment Insurance & Pension...not only that, we need to pay another 15% sales tax if we need to buy something...so the actual "spendable income" is only about 60% of his/her pay vs Hong Kong's 84%..

I am not going to argue which govt is better here, (every govt has its good and bad)...but supposed, this year the govt say to you that you dont need to pay so much tax and send you a big tax refund cheque, i am sure, you will be in a mood to buy more banknotes for your collection.

Apart than government policies (tax, monetary policy, welfare, surplus etc), the top reason is Hong Kong citizen's philosophy ..... definitely not supply and demand.

If people has been living in Hong Kong for a while, they know everything can attract a lot of people line up and buy then bid up the price in sky high .....  Like just finished 2008 Beijing Olympia, items related to Olympia has been bid up a lot.  Moreover, stamps issues, properties market, stock .... everything is on speculation and people rushed in to bid up the price.  It's not just collectors get involved, the majority is the investors buying hoping to get a profit in the near term ......

Then goes back to the final price, it seems not crazy!  How much is the $5 solid #8?  Personally I will pay $1000 to $1200.  $10 is slightly more, right ? And the same for $20.  When you add up all these notes together, I would say around $4000 for the set or more.  $4600 just 15% more.

The bottom line I would ask the seller is
How did they protect the notes?  It is because the humidity in HK is higher, which is definitely a problem for the notes.   (when I buy paper money outside Canada, I will ask the seller the same question especially in South East Asia Countries due to the climate issues ..... for the expensive notes.

Any input from other members which has some knowledge in HK notes communities?

Why  are  8888888 so  popular.  I  know that    in  Asian  culture that  it  ir  the  most  sought  after #.  is  it  popular  in  other  cultures 

8 is lucky, its Cantonese enunciation is ‘baat’ which is a happy sounding, good number.
Whereas the number 4 ‘say’ is phonetically close to the word ‘death’ in the same language, not a good number. My mother (She is Mandarin/Cantonese speaking) bought her house for the sole reason of its address number, ‘sum chut baat baat’ that’s 3788. And that didn’t include the Feng Shui thing. There you have it, I am not really a Jamaican Scot, but I do love Bob Marley’s music.

I think Yuman is correct about the Hong Kong's financial Philosophy, with an economic system and tax regime geared to encourage free enterprise is what built that city to where it is. Your own business is your 'social security net', more money in your pocket. If I were to sell all my 8 notes, the best place would be where the most Asians are. It is a significant selling feature.

The only hope I could get my hands on any solid 8 is to find one brick searching, otherwise I'm waiting for some stone tablet to fall from they sky with 6 magic numbers written on it with the words “say No to the Extra.”  -OR- Everyone but me just happens to overlook an Ebay auction item solid 8 leaving me the only bidder… fat chance. In the meantime I could afford those near solid 8s.
 
“Content with my WF 88888188 but not entirely satisfied.” 


BTW it appears that lot#270262128816 RP 8888888 sold for $1,800 plus da juice.

I just returned from Kowloon, Hong Kong where I was successful in repatriating the set of 1954 solid 1s (lot #1885).  The notes will be shipped to me in Canada this week (hopefully !!).  I will post a high resolution image of the $100 solid 1s as soon as the notes arrive.

I bid on the solid 8s but let them go to another floor bidder as the $20 was obviously pressed and the bidding went to high, in my opinion.

It is important to note the significance of this 1954 $100 solid radar.  Based on research I have done, and talking with Canadian paper money dealers and auctioneers, this is the only 1954 $100 solid radar to have appeared publicly.  Through inquiries I made at the auction, I was able to learn that these solids were in a private collection in Singapore for several decades.  If the technical details for the 1954 Modified issue are accurate, there is a possibility of 19 solid radars for the $100 denomination.

Congratulation!!!!..i think they are lovely and i personally think you did really well....i have learned from a long time watches dealer who is a very good friend of mine....when we buy something, we buy for tomorrow and not for today, sometimes we know, for certain items, the value of them can only go up (of course to a certain limit) and even if we pay a little bit more now...i am sure, it will worth a lot more in the future....

anyways, Congratulation......it is a treat to see something nice here....

BTW, my friend used to sell a Rolex Explorer II (1960s) at C$900 each back in early 1990s...now you can expect to get a same one in same condition for about US$30K to US$35K...of course collecting something is a hobby and never meant to spend all your money on one item..but it wont hurt to see your collection goes up in value down on the road....what seems to be expensive now may be very cheap later......

I just returned from Kowloon, Hong Kong where I was successful in repatriating the set of 1954 solid 1s (lot #1885).  The notes will be shipped to me in Canada this week (hopefully !!).  I will post a high resolution image of the $100 solid 1s as soon as the notes arrive.

I bid on the solid 8s but let them go to another floor bidder as the $20 was obviously pressed and the bidding went to high, in my opinion.

It is important to note the significance of this 1954 $100 solid radar.  Based on research I have done, and talking with Canadian paper money dealers and auctioneers, this is the only 1954 $100 solid radar to have appeared publicly.  Through inquiries I made at the auction, I was able to learn that these solids were in a private collection in Singapore for several decades.  If the technical details for the 1954 Modified issue are accurate, there is a possibility of 19 solid radars for the $100 denomination.

Just out of curiousity, will you be on a crazed search for the 2 the 5 and the 50 and does it seem like a reasonable quest(doable)

Fortunately, I already have a 1954 $2 and $5 in solid 1s.  There is a 1954 $50 solid 1s out there somewhere and I will make every effort to acquire it.  This information came from the auctioneer Chuck Moore in an email I received from him about a year ago:

From: Moorecoins@aol.com [mailto:Moorecoins@aol.com]
Sent: August 23, 2007 11:35 AM
To: inquiries@canada-banknotes.com
Subject: Re: 1954 $50 Modified Solid Radar (CUnc)


Arthur,

I believe that there is at least one other solid $50.00 radar, solid '1's.  I viewed it fifteen or so years ago, and I can't remember if it was a devil's face or modified.

Charles Moore
648 Cedar Glen Ct.
Walnut Creek, CA, 94598

I currently have the only other 1954 $50 Solid Radar that is known to exist, a Modified solid 7s.  So I'm also looking for a 1954 $100 solid 7s 


{http://www.davgro.com/images/cpmf/1954_$50_AH7777777_Front.jpg}

Very nice, It must feel damn nice to put the two and the five with these, I woud gladly help you out on the fifty if I could,
hang on, I'll check my wallet!!!
Just kidding I really hope you find and aquire the fifty to finish the set, Very nice!!!

I currently have the only other 1954 $50 Solid Radar that is known to exist, a Modified solid 7s.  So I'm also looking for a 1954 $100 solid 7s  Shocked

I'm quite sure that there is a BC-42c with the number B/H 8888888 it was in auction about 20-25 years ago and I was the second highest bidder. I was sure I'd win it with a bid of $350. I wanted it very badly because I knew it was only one of two possibe Lawson signed $50's.

Thanks for the information Gary.  It is amazing that some modern era notes can remain out of the public eye for so long.  I suspect that there are other high denomination 1954 solid radars out there that may only change hands privately.  The $50 solid 7s that I own was in a collection for over 20 years before I came across it accidently while discussing paper money trade options.  I was able to trade for it privately and add it to my collection.

I stand corrected; I currently have 1 of 3 1954 $50 Solid Radars that are known to exist, for now 

The 1954 solid 1s finally arrived from Hong Kong this morning 

Here is a scan of the $100 note.  It is GUnc except for the fact that it is a slightly off centre.  It has strong embossing, sharp corners and no signs of handling whatsover.  A totally original and pristine note.

I just got off the phone with Don Olmstead, who has run Olmstead Currency since 1967, and confirmed that this is the only 1954 $100 solid radar that he has ever heard of.


{http://www.davgro.com/images/CPMF/1954_$100_BJ1111111_Front.jpg}

Congratulations Arthur.
As I have stated in the past,it is nice to have this set "bank" in Canada where it belongs 

That said,had someone the desire to buy my QM in original uncirculated condition,I'd have had the wherewith all to meet you in HK.
I hate sharing a hotel room!

Charlton, page 197:

"A survey of the sheet numbers of existing notes suggest that only about a third of the modest total printed were ever released for circulation.It is not surprising then that collectors have long found the Queen Mary $5. to be a VERY ELUSIVE NOTE.Those notes that have turned up are generally in the more attractive grades."
Red colour and bold is not from Charlton

Two lots of very desirable 1954 solid serial number notes are coming up for sale at Baldwin's auction in Hong Kong on August 28/29 (there is no indication whether or not the notes have been pressed). Here's the auction site. .....

I'm beginning to think that I should have kept this information secret and snagged them myself ..... lol!