Hong Kong Mint
Encyclopedia
Hong Kong Mint was a mint
in Hong Kong
existed from 1866 to 1868. It was located in Sugar Street
, Hong Kong Island
. A Mint Dam, on the slope of Mount Butler
, was constructed to supply water to the mint.
In early colonial Hong Kong
, mixed currencies of various kinds were used. Although British pound was official currency, it was not well accepted by the merchants and residents , especially Chinese, in Hong Kong. Various silver currencies remained medium of trade in the city.
In order to provide a steady supply of silver dollar in Hong Kong. Hercules Robinson, the then-Hong Kong Governor, decided to found Hong Kong Mint in 1864. The mint opened on 1866-05-07 under the direction of the Master of the Mint, Thomas William Kinder but soon closed in 1868 during Richard MacDonnell
's governorship. The reasons for this were the poor reception of the coins as well as continued debasement of the silver coins causing huge loss. The mint machinery was sold to the Japan Mint in Osaka
, Japan
.
Mint (coin)
A mint is an industrial facility which manufactures coins for currency.The history of mints correlates closely with the history of coins. One difference is that the history of the mint is usually closely tied to the political situation of an era...
in Hong Kong
Hong Kong
Hong Kong is one of two Special Administrative Regions of the People's Republic of China , the other being Macau. A city-state situated on China's south coast and enclosed by the Pearl River Delta and South China Sea, it is renowned for its expansive skyline and deep natural harbour...
existed from 1866 to 1868. It was located in Sugar Street
Sugar Street
Sugar Street is a street located in Causeway Bay, Hong Kong. From 1866 to 1868, it was the location the Hong Kong Mint, the only mint in Hong Kong....
, Hong Kong Island
Hong Kong Island
Hong Kong Island is an island in the southern part of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region. It has a population of 1,289,500 and its population density is 16,390/km², as of 2008...
. A Mint Dam, on the slope of Mount Butler
Mount Butler
Mount Butler is a 436 m high hill on Hong Kong Island, Hong Kong."Mount Butler H.F. Radio Receiving Station" is situated on Mount Butler. Masts of the stations can be seen from a distance...
, was constructed to supply water to the mint.
In early colonial Hong Kong
Colonial Hong Kong
In the 19th century the British, Dutch, French, Indians and Americans saw Imperial China as the world's largest untapped market. In 1840 the British Empire launched their first and one of the most aggressive expeditionary forces to claim the territory that would later be known as Hong Kong.In a few...
, mixed currencies of various kinds were used. Although British pound was official currency, it was not well accepted by the merchants and residents , especially Chinese, in Hong Kong. Various silver currencies remained medium of trade in the city.
In order to provide a steady supply of silver dollar in Hong Kong. Hercules Robinson, the then-Hong Kong Governor, decided to found Hong Kong Mint in 1864. The mint opened on 1866-05-07 under the direction of the Master of the Mint, Thomas William Kinder but soon closed in 1868 during Richard MacDonnell
Richard Graves MacDonnell
Sir Richard Graves MacDonnell KCMG CB was an Anglo-Irish lawyer, judge and colonial governor...
's governorship. The reasons for this were the poor reception of the coins as well as continued debasement of the silver coins causing huge loss. The mint machinery was sold to the Japan Mint in Osaka
Osaka
is a city in the Kansai region of Japan's main island of Honshu, a designated city under the Local Autonomy Law, the capital city of Osaka Prefecture and also the biggest part of Keihanshin area, which is represented by three major cities of Japan, Kyoto, Osaka and Kobe...
, Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
.