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20 Yuan
| Issuer | People's Bank of China |
|---|---|
| Year | 1949 |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | Log in to see details |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Reference(s) | P#823 |
| Obverse description | Central vignette enclosed within an architectural frame shows a group of agricultural workers harvesting crops in a field, rendered in intaglio style against a lightly printed landscape background. The denomination 貳拾圓 appears in large characters to the left and right of the central vignette, with decorative guilloche corner pieces bearing repeated denomination numerals. The bank title 中國人民銀行 is printed across the top, with two red seal stamps appearing at the lower left and right, and the date inscription 中華民國三十八年 along the lower margin. |
|---|---|
| Obverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Reverse description | The reverse is dominated by an elaborate central guilloche medallion bearing the denomination characters 貳拾圓, surrounded by intricate lathe-work patterns in dark blue and green tones. Decorative corner pieces repeat the numeral 20 in all four corners, and further ornamental guilloche borders frame the entire composition. The bank title 中國人民銀行 is printed at the top, with the year 1949 appearing along the lower edge. |
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| Comments |
The People's Bank of China was less than a year old when this note was issued — established in December 1948 as Communist forces were still sweeping south, it had to produce a functioning national currency faster than any orderly printing program could accommodate. The result was a first series (第一套人民币) produced across multiple print facilities, with inconsistent paper stocks and variable ink quality that make attribution of individual printings genuinely difficult.
The 20 Yuan denomination was discontinued relatively quickly once hyperinflationary pressures from the Republican period were brought under control, and the entire first series was withdrawn in 1955 when the second series launched at a 10,000:1 conversion rate.