The Memorial Coins of the Birth of the Republic of China

Stephen Tai
Mar.14, 1998

	Denomination: One Dollar Bust: President Sun Yat-Sen Diameter: 39 mm Date: 1912
	Denomination: One Dollar Bust: Vice President Li Yuan-Hong Diameter: 39 mm Date: 1912
	Denomination: - (20-cent size) Bust: President Sun Yat-Sen Diameter: 23 mm Date: 1912

The shown silver coins were minted in 1912 to the memory of the founding of the Republic of China as of the same year. The busts shown on the coins are the president Sun Yat-Sen, on #1, #3, and the vice president Li Yuan-Hong, on #2.
These coins are memorials, and with few mintage, (#1 minted only 100,000 pieces, as reported, no detailed figures about #2, #3), even though, they had been circulated by then people as ordinary silver coins, for their sizes and silver purity are identical to the average coins used by people; in another respect, people at that time just very few could afford to collect and without spending them.