A subsection of British collectible coins from Hong Kong is the Hong Kong George V coins, minted between 1910 and 1936. If you are looking to collect every coin issued under King George V’s reign, or one coin from each monarch in all of Britain’s territories, the coins of George V from Hong Kong in these years shouldn’t be too hard to find for sale. Whatever your approach to these collectible and historical coins, many sellers are competing with each other to offer great pieces for low prices and the advantage is usually yours.
The Simplicity of Collecting Hong Kong George V Coins
Hong Kong was of course a British colony during this time. While the two previous monarchs, Queen Victoria (George V’s grandmother) and King Edward VII (his father) issued a greater variety of coins and denominations in Hong Kong, King George V’s time as monarch was one of very sparse minting in the small region in southern China. Hong Kong George V coins were issued in only three denominations:
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- 1 cent – First minted in 1919
- 5 cents – First minted in 1932
- 10 cents – First minted in 1935
The End of Silver Coinage in Hong Kong
The one-cent coin under George V was the first new coin for Hong Kong since 1905. Both the 1-cent piece and the 5-cent coins from 1932 were made of silver. These Hong Kong George V coins hold a special place in the coin collecting world, as they would be the last silver coins minted for general circulation in Hong Kong.
The 10-cent coins, minted for Hong Kong in 1935 and 1936, differed from the other two in that it was composed of copper-nickel.
When George V died his son Edward VIII became king, but due to the extreme briefness of his reign (eleven months) no Hong Kong coins were issued. The next Hong Kong coins would be issued under Edward VIII’s brother, King George VI.
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Collecting and Buying Hong Kong George V Coins
It’s an attainable goal to get one of every available coin from every available year from Hong Kong during the George V years. You can peruse online sales listings, which are constantly in flux as new listings come and old ones are sold off. You may choose to carefully buy single coins, looking carefully at the condition of each. Or it may suit you to wait for multi-coin sets or even a complete or mostly-complete collection.
Whatever your own approach, enjoy exploring the George V coins from Hong Kong; there’s plenty to choose from for your own collection!
