After covering a bimetallic coin yesterday, we break with tradition again and cover a medallion today, or to be more precise, a set of them. The Royal Canadian Mint is offering a set of six ½oz pieces that follow traditional coin specifications and design elements common to the Chinese mints, except for a denomination.
Each of the six coins depicts an absolutely quintessential view of China, especially as seen from outside of the country. If you asked somebody to pick six subjects for coins celebrating China, then the Great Wall, the Terracotta Army, Pandas, Kung Fu, Dragons, and Masked Opera would likely be the subjects. Each of the ‘coins’ has an excellent design, with no real weak ones. Even the Panda coin harks back to the much-loved 2013 three-Panda bullion coin design, one generally regarded as better than the two following designs.
The obverse depicts the famous Gate of Heavenly Peace from Tiananmen Square in Beijing, a widely used national symbol. The RCM’s description has the set as being dated for 2014, but the image of the obverse clearly states 2015.
Packaged in what looks to be a decent box, each set comes with a handmade Terracotta Warrior and each one is, like the actual Terracotta Army, quite unique. The figure looks to be around the 90-110 mm (4″) mark in height.
Available now for $329.95 CAD, (affiliate link at bottom), the mint is only selling in the US and Canada, but we’re sure they’ll appear in the usual places soon for other regions. They ship from 01 May, so a bit of a wait unfortunately, but for appreciators of China, one worth it we think.
TERRACOTTA ARMY
CHINESE DRAGON
GREAT WALL OF CHINA
SHAOLIN TEMPLE
PANDA
PEKING OPERA
MINTS DESCRIPTION
China. Rich in treasures. Discover it now!
One-of-a-kind collection! This set offers collectors a sensational new way to appreciate the grandest creations of Chinese culture and the country’s fascinating natural treasures.
With Discover China, you too can discover the highlights of the Middle Kingdom for the first time with 6 commemorative medallions, each made of a half ounce of fine silver.
The set includes the following exclusive medallions:
• 40 Years of the Terracotta Army
• Chinese Dragon
• Great Wall of China
• Panda
• Peking Opera
• Shaolin Temple
The back of each medallion features the Gate of Heavenly Peace and the launch year of the “Discover China” collection (2014).
| SPECIFICATION PER MEDALLION | |
|---|---|
| DENOMINATION | NONE (MEDALLION) |
| COMPOSITION | 0.999 SILVER |
| WEIGHT | 15.87 g |
| SIZE | 35.0 mm |
| FINISH | PROOF |
| MINTAGE | 5,000 |
| ACCESSORY | UNIQUE HANDMADE TERRACOTTA WARRIOR |
| BOX / COA | YES / YES (SERIALISED) |
I love the designs and the concept of the set, although the great wall I think could have been done better. In fact, there are other countries I’d like to see a similar set featuring . . . India for example.
Is this set made specifically for RCM or is it for any mint that willing to distribute this?