China's lunar silver series has been issued annually since 1981, but the 2010 Tiger issue arrived during a production period when the People's Mint at Shenyang was under scrutiny for inconsistent surface quality on proof blanks. The tiger carries particular cultural weight in the Chinese zodiac — associated with courage and military prowess, it was historically the rank insignia of high-level commanders in the imperial army.
Mintage for this issue was capped at 600,000 pieces, relatively restrained for a modern Chinese bullion-adjacent commemorative.
China's lunar silver series has been issued annually since 1981, but the 2010 Tiger issue arrived during a production period when the People's Mint at Shenyang was under scrutiny for inconsistent surface quality on proof blanks. The tiger carries particular cultural weight in the Chinese zodiac — associated with courage and military prowess, it was historically the rank insignia of high-level commanders in the imperial army.
Mintage for this issue was capped at 600,000 pieces, relatively restrained for a modern Chinese bullion-adjacent commemorative.