Part of the first series of renminbi coins introduced after the People's Republic shifted toward a modernized currency infrastructure in the late 1970s, these were struck across several years with notable mintage variation. The 1980 issues generally saw wide distribution, but certain years in the run — particularly 1981 — were produced in quantities so limited they were effectively withheld from circulation and exist today almost exclusively in mint sets sold to foreign collectors, making circulated examples genuinely suspect.
Part of the first series of renminbi coins introduced after the People's Republic shifted toward a modernized currency infrastructure in the late 1970s, these were struck across several years with notable mintage variation. The 1980 issues generally saw wide distribution, but certain years in the run — particularly 1981 — were produced in quantities so limited they were effectively withheld from circulation and exist today almost exclusively in mint sets sold to foreign collectors, making circulated examples genuinely suspect.