An extraordinary collection of memorabilia relating to Chairman Mao Tse-Tung is to be sold in a UK auction on October 4, and will be highlighted by an incredibly rare signed 100 Yuan note.
 The note originates from the second sino-Japanese war |
The entire collection is estimated to be worth in excess of £1m, with prints from Andy Warhol and Gerhard Richter also starring. It has been amassed over a period of 15 years by a US collector, who made countless trips to China in order to obtain the rarest items of memorabilia.
The sale's most valuable lot is a 100 Yuan note, issued by the Bank of Shaan Gan Ying border area, which has been twice signed by Mao. Also featuring are the signatures of three other communist luminaries of the period: Zhu De, Huang Ha and Ma Haide.
Dated 1942, the note originates from the period when the Republic of China was fighting the second sino-Japanese war. It is expected to bring £100,000-150,000 ($162,000-243,250).
Following this will be a painting by the Chinese artist He Kongde entitled Gutian Meeting, which depicts Mao giving an important speech at the Gutian Conference in 1929. The work is one of three known versions, with the finished piece currently housed in the Chinese Revolution Museum in Beijing. With an estimate of £50,000-70,000 ($81,000-113,500), the piece is expected to be the auction's second highest selling item.
Andy Warhol's Mao, numbered 125 in an edition of 250, is expected to bring £18,000-22,000, while Gerhard Richter's depiction of the leader, which predates Warhol's effort, is valued at £8,000-10,000.
For the results of this sale click here.
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