1 Yuan Memento: Birth of the Republic

The "Memento" dollars — so called from the Latin inscription on the reverse — were struck to commemorate the founding of the Republic following the Xinhai Revolution and the abdication of the Qing dynasty's last emperor, Puyi, in February 1912. Yuan Shikai, who would later attempt to crown himself emperor in 1915, authorized early production as part of a broader effort to legitimize the new government through modern coinage. The long date range reflects not a continuous mint run but episodic restrikings, many of commercial rather than governmental origin.

Genuine examples and contemporary counterfeits circulated side by side for decades, complicating attribution to this day.