Catalog
See full images - free registration
Continue with Google - no registration!
or register with email
Why register? Just to keep bots out of our catalog. Your email stays private - we will never share it or send you anything uninvited. We guarantee you that!
1 Yuan Pattern, 'Fat Man dollar', six characters, copper
| Issuer | Republic of China |
|---|---|
| Year | 1914 |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | Log in to see details |
| Currency | Log in to see details |
| Composition | Log in to see details |
| Weight | Log in to see details |
| Diameter | Log in to see details |
| Thickness | Log in to see details |
| Shape | Log in to see details |
| Technique | Log in to see details |
| Orientation | Log in to see details |
| Engraver(s) | Luigi Giorgi |
| In circulation to | Log in to see details |
| Reference(s) | Log in to see details |
| Obverse description | Left-facing draped bust effigy of Yuan Shikai, President of the Republic of China, rendered in high relief with fine portrait detail characteristic of the engraver Luigi Giorgi. A six-character legend in Chinese script arcs above the bust within the field. The portrait exhibits the characteristic full-cheeked, broad-shouldered depiction that gives rise to the colloquial 'Fat Man dollar' designation. The coin's copper surface displays a rich patina with toning visible around the devices and in the fields. |
|---|---|
| Obverse script | Log in to see details |
| Obverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Reverse description | Log in to see details |
| Reverse script | Log in to see details |
| Reverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Edge | Plain |
| Mint | Log in to see details |
| Mintage | Log in to see details |
| Additional information |
The so-called "Fat Man dollar" takes its nickname from the rotund appearance of Yuan Shikai's portrait, produced in 1914 as the new republic sought to establish a unified national coinage to replace the chaotic mixture of provincial issues and foreign trade dollars still dominating commerce. This copper piece is a pattern — never approved for circulation — struck while the mint was evaluating compositions and die designs before settling on the familiar silver production issues.
The six-character reverse designation distinguishes it from the more common eight-character varieties. Kann's documentation of this type as 651X signals its extreme rarity; surviving examples in any condition are genuinely uncommon.