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100 Yuan Year of the Snake
| Issuer | People's Republic of China |
|---|---|
| Year | 1989 |
| Type | Log in to see details |
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| Currency | Second Rénmínbì (1955-date) |
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| Obverse description | Log in to see details |
|---|---|
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| Obverse lettering | 中华人民共和国 1989 |
| Reverse description | A coiled snake rendered in fine relief is depicted resting among grasses and foliage in a naturalistic composition occupying the central field, evoking the traditional Chinese lunar calendar motif for the Year of the Snake. The denomination 100元 appears in the lower right field, while the inscription 生肖金银币 成色.999 1oz AU is inscribed along the upper portion of the field in Chinese and Latin characters, providing the series name and fineness specifications. |
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| Additional information |
China's Lunar Gold series was among the first government-issued bullion programs to systematically exploit the collector premium on themed annual issues, and the 1989 Snake is one of the lower-mintage entries in the early run. The People's Bank of China kept production figures for this series deliberately restricted, a policy that distinguished it from contemporaneous Soviet and South African bullion programs competing for the same international buyer base.
KM#235 was struck at the Shenzhen Guobao Mint during a period of significant political tension — the coin entered the market just months before the June 1989 Tiananmen Square crackdown, which briefly disrupted Chinese precious metals exports to Western dealers.