It always amazes me what can be found in an artist's studio. I was very fortunate to see Mr. Han Xiao Sheng of the Shenyang Mint a few days ago. Looking around at all his work, I noticed something familiar, yet not familiar. Here are two examples of a Spring medal he designed. It is one of a brass five medal series with a mintage of 500 in 80mm diameter and is one of my favorites. The one on the left attracted my attention because it is much thinner than the medals in the set I have. Mr, Han explained that it is a machine engraved proof – not struck – carved from a block of metal. It was made before the dies were as part of the design and proofing process. I think that if a die was made with a positive relief, instead of negative, this is what it would look like. The mantis' legs and eyes show the difference in detail. Only one was made, so that's its population: one.
Best wishes,
Peter Anthony
NGC Consultant
China Pricepedia — Chinese Coin Prices and More
The Gold & Silver Panda Coin Buyer’s Guide 3
www.pandacollector.com
