Rare 1911 Chinese 'Short-Whiskered Dragon' coin sells for record $4.88 million

A rare 1911 Chinese 'Short-Whiskered Dragon' silver pattern coin sold for $4.88 million at Heritage's HKINF World & Ancient Coins Platinum Session and Signature Auction, becoming the most valuable world coin ever sold at Heritage and one of the top non-U.S. coins globally. The Hsüan-t'ung silver Specimen Pattern Dollar Year 3 (1911) SP64+ PCGS, from The Peh Family Collection, surpassed the previous record of $4.32 million set in December 2025 for a Republic Chang Tso-lin silver Specimen Pattern Dollar. Kyle Johnson, Heritage's Managing Director of World & Ancient Coins, expressed excitement over the record. The auction featured nearly 400 lots from The Peh Family Collection.