5 Yuan Camel

Issued as part of China's ongoing Silk Road series, this 1995 piece commemorates the historical trade routes connecting Han dynasty China to Central Asia and the Mediterranean world. The camel's centrality to that commerce was absolute — Bactrian camels could carry up to 250 kilograms across terrain that defeated wheeled transport entirely.

Mintage for the series was tightly controlled by the People's Bank, keeping individual issues well under 30,000 pieces.