50 Yuan Speed Skating

Part of China's 1990 XI Asian Games commemorative program, this 5-troy-ounce issue was among the largest silver pieces the People's Bank of China had produced to that point. The Asian Games that year were held in Beijing — the first time China had hosted the event — and the numismatic program surrounding them was extensive, spanning multiple metals and denominations.

The sheer mass of the flan demanded slower striking pressures, and examples with full, even luster across the entire field are harder to locate than the mintage figures alone would suggest.