1911 Long-Whiskered Dragon Dollar

Specifications

AI-generated illustration based on cited references; no freely licensed photograph of this pattern was verified.

A Tientsin Mint specimen pattern of 1911 — the long-whiskered imperial dragon dollar that was never adopted for circulation.

History

Struck at the Tientsin Mint in Year 3 of Hsuan-t’ung (1911) as a specimen/pattern dollar for China’s proposed national currency, the Long-Whiskered Dragon was never adopted for circulation (Heritage Auctions, accessed 2026-09-16)
The engraving is attributed to Luigi Giorgi, the Italian chief engraver at the Tientsin Mint, and the dies are considered among the finest products of late-Qing die artistry (Stack’s Bowers, accessed 2026-09-16)
It is cataloged as KM-Pn304 / L&M-28 for the raised-vein (outer-leaf) variety and KM-Pn305 / L&M-29 for the small-characters variety, existing only as a pattern with no circulation mintage (Heritage Auctions, accessed 2026-09-16)
The celebrated June 2026 Heritage result of about $4.88 million was for the distinct Short-Whiskered Dragon in SP64+ PCGS — a different type that must not be confused with, or attached to, the Long-Whiskered pattern (artdaily.cc, accessed 2026-09-16)
Its long, flowing whiskers and raised-vein leaf details distinguish it at a glance from the adopted short-whiskered 1911 dragon dollar (Stack’s Bowers, accessed 2026-09-16)
As a specimen of the final imperial year, it ranks among the most important pattern rarities in Chinese numismatics (Heritage Auctions, accessed 2026-09-16)

KM-Pn304 / L&M-28 — raised-vein (outer-leaf) variety specimen pattern, Year 3 (1911) (Heritage Auctions, accessed 2026-09-16)
KM-Pn305 / L&M-29 — small-characters variety specimen pattern, Year 3 (1911) (Heritage Auctions, accessed 2026-09-16)
No circulation mintage was ever published for the pattern; treat any mintage figure quoted for it as unverified (Heritage Auctions, accessed 2026-09-16)

Composition: Silver, .900 fine (90% silver, 10% copper) — the reference standard for the issue (Heritage Auctions, accessed 2026-09-16).
Designers: Luigi Giorgi (attributed) (Stack’s Bowers, accessed 2026-09-16).
Diameter: About 39 mm (reference figure; Heritage Auctions, accessed 2026-09-16).

Buy only graded examples and verify the PCGS/NGC certificate number in the grading service’s online database before paying.
Attribution turns on whisker length and leaf-vein details that separate KM-Pn304/Pn305 from the circulation short-whiskered type — compare against the Heritage plate photos of both varieties.
No verified mintage exists for the pattern, so be skeptical of any seller quoting one.
High-value patterns are prime counterfeit targets; insist on a recent PCGS/NGC holder with a verifiable certificate.