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200 Yuan Completion of first 12 years of 1 Ounce Chinese Zodiac Bullion
| Issuer | People's Bank of China |
|---|---|
| Year | 1999 |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | 200 Yuan (200元) |
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| Obverse description | Central design features an ornately rendered octagonal panel, inspired by traditional Chinese imperial decorative art, enclosing a circular medallion with two intertwined dragons amid stylised clouds in high relief. The octagonal border is filled with intricate floral and cloud scrollwork. The legend 中华人民共和国 (People's Republic of China) arcs along the upper periphery in Chinese characters. Below the central panel, flanking the date 1999, appear two horizontal inscriptions reading 中国第一套一盎司纪念币（1988-1999）发行纪念, commemorating the issuance of the first series of one-ounce commemorative coins from 1988 to 1999. |
|---|---|
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| Obverse lettering | 中华人民共和国 1999 中国第一套一盎司纪念币（1988-1999）发行纪念 |
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| Additional information |
Issued in 1999 to mark the completion of the first full twelve-year cycle of China's gold and silver zodiac bullion program, which the People's Bank of China had launched in 1981 with the Year of the Rooster. That inaugural series established the now-familiar annual format of issuing both gold and silver pieces keyed to the traditional lunar calendar, a program that has continued uninterrupted since. The 1999 commemorative consolidates the cycle's conclusion into a single substantial piece.
Production of kilo-weight silver coins at this diameter required die work and planchet preparation beyond routine bullion operations — the PBoC contracted striking to the Shanghai and Shenyang mints, whose capacity for large-format commemoratives had expanded considerably through the 1990s.