A gold coin that never needed to be struck? Sounds like the makings of a rarity, and a rarity it was and is. With help from authors Charles Morgan and Hubert Walker, we will take a closer look at a gold coin that may have not been needed per say, but its impact has surely been talked about by numismatists around the world.
#88 – Tibet 1921 Ser-Khang Gold 20 Srang
A high-altitude country in Central Asia, Tibet was a highly isolated cultural and religious nation for centuries before China began its occupation in the 1950s. They even struck their own coins, including a gold coin struck from 1918-1921 that numismatist Eduard Kann said, “Tibet unquestionably never was in need of.” Kann authored a catalog that promoted the idea of collecting Chinese coins in the West. However, the 1921 Ser-Khang Gold 20 Srang was not one of them as Tibet has little to no export industry to justify the coins.
Despite the clear indicators, Tibet still issued the gold coins. The 28.3mm gold coin featured incredible designs, showcasing the country’s culture and religious symbols. The lion is also seen surrounded by Buddhist symbols on the obverse. The reverse depicts a flower with Tibetan script around it. Authors Morgan and Walker point out that one of the reasons it is so striking is due in large part to the design, invoking something you might have seen hundreds of years earlier. This further showed how sequestered they were from the rest of the world.
Mintage for Tibetan 20 Srang coins is not easy to come by and not reliable, according to Morgan and Walker. They were not mass produced but gold coins from 1918-1920 dates show up periodically at auctions. The issues also came in two varieties: with or without a dot, which was located on the reverse in the center. The one without the dot has since been realized to be extremely rare but elusive.