The 1-Cent Coin of 1941 Is worth 120,000 Dollars

Ever since it was first minted, the 1-cent coin has been Hong Kong's lowest denomination. Minted for a total of 78 years, it bore the portraits of four successive British monarchs. However, World War II had an unexpected impact on the last batch of 1-cent coins produced.

The Government of Hong Kong had sent an order for new coins to the Royal Mint in London. 5,000,000 1-cent coins were produced, along with nearly 2,000,000 5-cent coins.

However, as the war raged in Europe and Eastern Asia, the 5-cent coins were never shipped, while one of five shipments of 1-cent coins reached South Africa before being returned to England to be melted down.

Evidence suggests that at least one shipment made it to Hong Kong, where it was seized by the Japanese and melted, while another ship was sunk. As a result, only a very small number of the 1-cent coins of 1941 still exists.

Today, the 1-cent coin of 1941 is one of the most sought-after rarities in Hong Kong’s numismatic world, with a single unit selling between HKD 54,000 and HKD 122,000 (approximately USD 6,900 to USD 15,600); making this 7.53-gram piece of bronze about as valuable as a 100-gram bar of pure gold (as of 2026).