Queen Elizabeth II and the 1959 Hong Kong Ten-Cent Coin

Hong Kong was a British Crown Colony from 1843 until its handover to China in 1997. As such, the reigning British monarch served as the territory's head of state. In 1959, Queen Elizabeth II was the monarch of the United Kingdom and, by extension, the head of state of Hong Kong.

Coins minted in Hong Kong during this period, including the ten-cent piece, bore the effigy of Queen Elizabeth II on the obverse, as was standard for all British colonial coinage. The 1959 issue features the young queen's first portrait by Mary Gillick, used from 1953 until decimalization in 1971.

Thus, while Hong Kong did not have its own separate monarchy, Queen Elizabeth II was indeed the sovereign represented on its 1959 coinage.