Los 6209

10 Cents Yr.20 (1931) - Antimony (KM429, Hsu1, Zeno285555) - Obv: Chinese legend Chung Hua Min Kuo Nien / Rev: Sun within beaded circle - 5.10 g. - NGC VF Details, cleaned (5786156-005), rare coin, the only Chinese coin struck in antimony, maybe more attractive looking than the grade suggests, Guizhou (Kweichow) had a great shortage of copper coins and had to rely on Szechuan for coin supplies during the early Republican era. With the intention to reduce Szechuan's influence, the Kweichow government planned to cast its own copper coins but failed; because Kweichow was rich in lead and antimony, but had little copper. The Kweichow government was, therefore, forced to revise its plan and to mint antimony coins instead. According to the revised plan, the mintage was 500 thousand, each one had a face value of 10 Wen, and the issuing year was the 20th Yr. of the Republic of China (1931). The plan, however, was not executed smoothly. Firstly, the Arsenal of Kueiyang, which was responsible for minting the antimony coins, didn't have enough capacity in meeting the time schedule and output as demanded. The antimony coins were delayed in issuing for 2 years, they were not put into circulation until in the 22nd Yr. of the Republic of China (1933), even though their surfaces were all inscribed with the 20th Yr.. Secondly, immediately after the antimony coins were put into circulation in the markets, the Kweichow government came to know that they were not welcomed by the people, as the antimony was too soft and easily worn. Due to it, the market value of the antimony coins had been depreciated to one quarter of its face value. As a result, the Kweichow government has to give-up its plan. Those antimony coins now are renowned not just for what it was made of (it seems the only coin in the world made of antimony), but also for the scarcity of surviving specimens, particularly those in good condition