An Impossible Task for Collectors

http://collection.sina.com.cn/qbtd/20120917/094284949.shtml
by Ding Chang
Sept 17, 2012

Collecting the whole series of the Ancient Chinese Inventions and Discoveries (I&D) precious metal coins is considered an impossible task for collectors. So far, no collector either in China or overseas has succeeded in assembling this massive series which was released for five years running from 1992 to 1996. The chronological order of this series of precious metal coins is as follows: three terrific gems were released in 1992 – the Compass kilo gold coin and the Seismograph kilo gold coin, with a mintage of 10, which is the lowest mintage among the gold coins released by the PRC; the Ancient Chinese I&D kilo silver coin set, with a mintage of 50 sets, again the lowest mintage among the silver coins released by the PRC. The wonder does not stop there: in the same year, 1992, the first set of Ancient Chinese I&D platinum coin set was released, with a mintage of 100 sets, which was the lowest mintage among all the platinum coins released by the PRC. Other releases, such as the first set of Ancient Chinese I&D gold coins (with a mintage of 1000), the Ancient Chinese I&D piedfort silver coin set (with a mintage of 2500 sets), the first set of Ancient Chinese I&D silver coins (with a mintage of 15000) and the 5oz Compass silver coin (with a mintage of 3000), are all hotly pursued by collectors. Last but not least, the two small silver coins, Paper Making and Bronze Coin Minting, are also highly valued!

In 1993, the People's Bank of China made adjustments to the Ancient Chinese I&D precious metal coins. Among the new releases were the second set of Ancient Chinese I&D platinum coins (with a mintage of 100 sets), the second set of Ancient Chinese I&D gold coins (with a mintage of 1200 sets), and the second set of Ancient Chinese I&D silver coins (with a mintage of 15000 sets). While the kilo gold and silver coins released in 1992 were discontinued, a new set of Yin and Yang Philosophy was launched, including 5oz gold and silver coins (with a mintage of 99 and 1000 respectively), a 1oz gold coin (with a mintage of 888), a 1/4oz gold coin (with a mintage of 3000), a 1/10 gold coin (unlimited mintage) and a 1oz silver coin (unlimited mintage). Shockingly, the People’s Bank of China also had a 5oz Definition of Zero silver coin minted, a pattern as valuable as national treasure, which is now housed in the showroom of the China Gold Coins Co.!

In 1994, the People’s Bank of China released the third set of Ancient Chinese I&D platinum coins (with a mintage of 100 sets), the third set of Ancient Chinese I&D gold coins (with a mintage of 1200 sets) and the third set of Ancient I&D silver coins (with a mintage of 15000 sets) and stopped at that. When it came to 1995, only the fourth set of Ancient Chinese I&D gold and silver coins were released (with a mintage of 1200 and 15000 respectively), plus the 15g Yin and Yang Philosophy small silver coin (with a mintage of 20000). In 1996, the People’s Bank of China only issued the fifth set of Ancient Chinese I&D gold and silver coins (with a mintage of 1200 and 15000 respectively), thus putting an end to the whole series of Ancient Chinese I&D precious metal coins, but the end was a snake’s tail compared with the start which resembled a tiger's head.

The most difficult coin to collect for the whole Ancient Chinese I&D series is the 5oz silver pattern Definition of Zero. Next in line are the kilo gold Compass and Seismograph, as well as the kilo silver coin set with a mintage of 50. Nobody either in China or overseas owns all these three types, even if we leave out the 5oz silver pattern Definition of Zero. A kilo gold Compass was auctioned of for the huge price of RMB8.3 million at the Champion Auction last year, and a kilo gold Seismograph was sold for RMB7.25 million at the beginning of this year.

(Description of the compass and the seismograph omitted.)

The Ancient I&D kilo silver set, with a mintage of 50, is priced at RMB2.5 million on the market right now; the Ancient Chinese I&D platinum coins (sets 1, 2 and 3) also have a market price tag of RMB2.5 million at the moment, while the Ancient Chinese I&D gold coins (sets 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5) have an asking price of RMB1.1 million. The 5oz Ying and Yang Philosophy gold coin has a price tag of RMB0.9 million. It is obvious that many sets in the Ancient Chinese I&D series are highly priced, not to mention the whole series!