150 Yuan Unicorn

China's Unicorn series, launched in 1995, drew directly on the qilin — a chimeric creature from classical Chinese cosmology associated with good governance and the arrival of sages — rather than the Western unicorn tradition. The 1996 issue was produced at low mintage for the international collector market, part of a broader Chinese mint strategy in the 1990s to generate hard currency through prestige bullion programs alongside the better-known Panda series.

At over 20 troy ounces, this is a presentation piece in every practical sense. The kilograms-range silver coins of this era were struck at the Shanghai and Shenzhen mints, and attributing individual pieces to a specific facility without assay marks requires cross-referencing die characteristics.