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200 Yuan Vault Protector of the Tang Dynasty
| Issuer | People's Republic of China |
|---|---|
| Year | 1998 |
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| Currency | Second Rénmínbì (1955-date) |
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| Obverse description | The obverse features a large central square hole surrounded by an elaborate symmetrical design of scrolling foliate and floral arabesques rendered in high relief, evoking traditional Tang Dynasty decorative motifs. The denomination '200元' is inscribed at the top of the field in Chinese numerals and the yuan symbol. Below the central perforation, the legend '中华人民共和国' (People's Republic of China) is inscribed in Chinese characters, with the year '1998' appearing beneath in the lower field. |
|---|---|
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| Reverse description | The reverse displays a large square hole at center, replicating the form of a traditional Chinese cash coin, surrounded by four bold Chinese seal-script characters arranged in the four cardinal positions reading '大唐镇库' (Great Tang Vault Protector). The characters are rendered in an archaic calligraphic style consistent with Tang Dynasty numismatic tradition, occupying the full field of the coin with minimal ornamentation, emphasizing the austere aesthetic of ancient Chinese coinage. |
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| Additional information |
The "Vault Protector" — or *镇库* coin — draws on a tradition dating to the Five Dynasties period, when oversized cash coins were cast and placed in mint treasuries as talismans against loss and theft. The Tang Dynasty association here is partly evocative; the actual *zhenkù* practice postdates the Tang by several decades, though Tang-era mints were among the most productive in Chinese history, operating under the Bureau of Good Currency at peak outputs exceeding billions of cash annually.
The 1998 issue belongs to a series the People's Bank launched specifically around this iconographic tradition, with the kilogram silver format chosen to echo the monumental scale of the original cast protectors.