50 Yuan Dreams of Red Mansion

This 5-troy-ounce silver issue is part of China's long-running literary classics series, which drew from the four canonical works of Chinese fiction. Dream of the Red Chamber, attributed to Cao Xueqin and written in the mid-18th century, had particular political sensitivity — the novel's frank depictions of aristocratic decline made it a target during the Cultural Revolution, when owning a copy carried genuine risk. Its rehabilitation as a national treasure came only after 1976.

The 2002 release was struck at the Shanghai Mint. Mintages for these literary issues were tightly controlled, typically in the low thousands.