King On Mao (2010)

King On Mao, whose books published in English on Chinese paper money helped open the door to non-Chinese collectors of this vast area of world paper money, has been described as “a gentleman and a rogue.”

His History of Chinese Paper Currency published in 1968 and History of Paper Currency as issued by the People’s Republic of China, published in 1972 were groundbreaking works that predated the first Standard Catalog of World Paper Money. Mao himself was a colorful character who often dressed in the style of a Chinese Mandarin from the 19th century. He was collector and dealer, whose trading activities were not always welcomed by his contemporaries in Hong Kong. But his contribution to the accumulation of knowledge on the history of banknotes is unchallenged.