China: New Proof gold and silver commemorative coins launch “National Treasure — The Dawn of Civilisation” series

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The People’s Bank of China has launched a new series of commemorative and collector coins, which is entitled “National Treasure.” The first set of coins focuses on the “Dawn of Civilization,” which traces early Chinese history back to the most important eras moving toward modern civilisation. The series will depict a collection of cultural relics in various historical periods that have survived intact throughout the centuries of history and throughout of the origin and development of Chinese civilisation. The context, the stories, and legends behind the feature ornaments jointly tell and describe the extraordinary chapters of the Chinese nation. “National Treasure,” and its collection of Chinese cultural relics, will not only present the beauty of national treasure-level cultural relics, but they are sure to increase a desire to learn more about the legendary stories of Chinese civilisation and culture.

In chronological order, the upcoming series of commemorative coin sets is initially planned as six groups, corresponding to six historical periods. The first series represents 1) The prehistoric Neolithic period, the Xia, Shang, Western Zhou, and Spring and Autumn periods; 2) The Warring States; 3) Qin and Han periods; 4) The Three Kingdoms, Jin, and Southern and Northern Dynasties; 5) The Sui, Tang, and Five Dynasties, and 6) The Song, Yuan, Ming, and Qing dynasties.

The 2023-dated set comprises three silver coins of five yuan, one gold coin of 50 yuan, and one gold coin of 200 yuan. Each of the designs features vivid colour print on the obverse, enhancing the featured object.

Five-yuan silver: Minted by the Shanghai Mint Co., Ltd. and designed by artist Wang Yajun, the image of a pottery eagle tripod is off-centred to the right, along with additional decorations representing the Yang Shao culture. The text 国家宝藏 · 陶鹰 (“National Treasure · Pottery Eagle Tripod”) is shown to the upper right along the edge, and the denomination 5元 is seen to the lower left of the primary design.

Five-yuan silver: Minted by the Shenyang Mint Co., Ltd. and designed by artist Yu Tian Xiang, the obverse design depicts a white pottery vessel along with additional decorations related to the Dawenkou culture. The text 国家宝藏 · 白陶 (“National Treasure·White Pottery Vessel”) is placed to the upper left edge, and the denomination 5元 is seen to the lower left of the primary design.

Five-yuan silver: Minted by the Shenzhen National Treasure Mint Co., Ltd. and designed by artist Huang Qin, the obverse includes an image of a stylised Panlong Pan, an aquatic dragon resembling a mythical river dragon. The text 国家宝藏 · 蟠龙盘 (“National Treasure · Panlong Pan”) is shown to the upper left edge, and the denomination 5元 is seen to the lower right of the primary design.

50-yuan gold: Minted by the Shenzhen National Treasure Mint Co., Ltd. and designed by artist Li Guo, the design features the image of the remnants of a jade axe and is accompanied by additional decorations related to the Liangzhu culture. The commemorative text 国家宝藏 · 玉钺 (“National Treasure · Jade Ax”), along with the denomination 50元 placed to the lower right of the primary design, completes the design.

200-yuan gold: Minted by the Shenyang Mint Co., Ltd. and designed by artist Wang Yajun, the obverse features an item of jewellery in the shape of an ornamental jade dragon. In the background is additional decoration related to the Hongshan culture along with the commemorative text 国家宝藏 · 玉龙 (“National Treasure · Jade Dragon”) and the denomination 200元, which is placed just to the left of the ornament.

All coins in the “National Treasures – Dawn of Civilisation” range share the same obverse design, which features the national emblem of the People’s Republic of China. The country’s name is placed over the emblem in Chinese characters 中 华人民共和国 (“People’s Republic of China”) and the year of issue 2023 is placed below.

Denom.	Metal	Weight	Diameter	Quality	Maximum Mintage
5 yuan x 3	.999 Silver	15 g	33 mm	Proof with applied colour	20,000 (each)
50 yuan	.999 Gold	3 g	18 mm	Proof with applied colour	10,000
100 yuan	.999 Gold	15 g	27 mm	Proof with applied colour	5,000

Each silver and gold coin is available as an individual purchase and solely distributed by the China Gold Coin Corporation. For details of these and other coins released by the People’s Bank of China, please visit the website of the China Gold Coin Network.

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