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!
100 000 Yuan Year of the Snake
| Issuer | People's Republic of China |
|---|---|
| Year | 2013 |
| Type | Non-circulating coin |
| 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) | Log in to see details |
| In circulation to | Log in to see details |
| Reference(s) | Log in to see details |
| Obverse description | Log in to see details |
|---|---|
| Obverse script | Log in to see details |
| Obverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Reverse description | A highly detailed, naturalistically rendered snake coils dynamically across the central field in high relief, its sinuous body conveying graceful movement. To the upper left, the Chinese characters 癸巳 (Guǐ Sì, the sexagenary cycle designation for the Year of the Snake) are inscribed in the field. Subtly engraved circular wave-like patterns fill the background, evoking a traditional Chinese artistic aesthetic. The denomination 100000元 is inscribed in the lower portion of the field in Arabic numerals and Chinese characters. |
| Reverse script | Log in to see details |
| Reverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Edge | Reeded |
| Mint | Log in to see details |
| Mintage | Log in to see details |
| Additional information |
This is one of the largest gold coins ever produced by the People's Bank of China, part of the Lunar Series issues that have run continuously since 1981. At ten kilograms of .999 fine gold, production of a single piece requires extraordinary die pressure and careful annealing to avoid stress fractures across the broad flan — a technical challenge the Shanghai Mint, which struck the lunar bullion series, managed through controlled multi-stage pressing.
The 2013 Snake issue had an extremely limited mintage, as with all Chinese mega-kilo gold pieces. Fewer than a handful of examples typically reach secondary markets in any given decade.