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5 Yuan Elephant
| Issuer | People's Bank of China |
|---|---|
| Year | 1990 |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | 5 Yuan (5元, 伍圓) |
| Currency | Log in to see details |
| Composition | Log in to see details |
| Weight | Log in to see details |
| Diameter | Log in to see details |
| Thickness | Log in to see details |
| Shape | Log in to see details |
| Technique | Log in to see details |
| Orientation | Log in to see details |
| Engraver(s) | Log in to see details |
| In circulation to | Log in to see details |
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| Obverse description | Log in to see details |
|---|---|
| Obverse script | Chinese |
| Obverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Reverse description | Central field depicts a highly stylized ancient Chinese bronze elephant, richly adorned with intricate taotie and scroll motifs characteristic of Shang dynasty ritual bronzeware, shown in profile facing left with its trunk raised. The figure is rendered in sharp cameo relief against a frosted proof background, conveying the sculptural quality of the original artifact. The curved legend 公元前16-前11世纪 (16th–11th century BC) arcs along the upper periphery, indicating the historical period of the Shang dynasty. The denomination 5元 is inscribed in the lower field beneath the elephant. The design is framed by a beaded border. |
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| Reverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Edge | Log in to see details |
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| Additional information |
China's Elephant bullion series, launched in 1983, was one of the earliest precious metal programs issued by the People's Bank explicitly for the international collector and investor market — a deliberate move to compete with the Panda series and generate foreign currency. The 1990 five-yuan silver pieces occupy an awkward position in the series: low face value relative to metal content made them essentially non-circulating from inception, yet their modest weight placed them below the investment thresholds that drove serious bullion buying.
The dual KM reference reflects a cataloging discrepancy between earlier Krause editions — worth verifying against the specific mintmark or packaging configuration before attributing.