I have been keen on collecting pretty and fun things since I was a kid. I began to collect stamps in 1956, and since then, I have embarked on the track of collecting a wide variety of objects. My collection includes matchbox stickers, stamps, ancient coins, foreign silver coins, vintage coins, paintings, calligraphy, jade, awards, medals, clocks, watches, and cans. After I discovered modern Chinese precious metal coins in 1979, I decided tocollect themfor the rest of my life!
My salary was only a few dozen yuan initially, so it was impossible to collect precious metal coins. Therefore, I could only start by collecting information and pictures. After years of hard work in 1998, I published the book A Catalog of Modern Chinese Precious Metal Coins and Medals (《中國現代貴金屬幣章目錄》) as a reference for myself. In 2003, the Luwan Worker’s Market was crowded with coin dealers, and the secondary market was gradually maturing. The 2003 edition of my catalog caused a sensation in the market. In 2011, I published the Illustrated Catalog of Modern Chinese Precious Metal Coins and Medals (《中國現代貴金屬幣章圖譜》) which was released and distributed by China Finance Press. The catalog helped many modern Chinese precious metal coins to appreciate in value!
Later on, I got acquainted with many of the masters of coin designing and engraving, such as Chen Jian, Tong Youming, and Wang Fude after visiting several mints in China. I gained a certain understanding of the design, die-making, and production process of modern Chinese precious metal coins. Based on my successful investment in circulating coins, I collected many rare gold coins of up to 2 ounces in weight, and gold medals all of which were released at overseas coin shows. Yet, over the years, I have not witnessed the actual production of modern coins and medals, not to mention getting my hands on a machine to strike any of them.
On September 7th, I had the honor to be invited by Michael Chou of Champion Auction to attend the first striking ceremony for the Macau Numismatic Society 10th Anniversary Panda Commemorative Medal at Shanghai New Century Minting Co., Ltd. On the morning of September 8, I took more than an hour's ride to the New Century Minting Co., Ltd. On the way, I was thinking that the machine used for striking coins and medals must be in a very large workshop and the rumbling sound of the machine would be unceasing. How would such a large machine operate? Will I strike off and waste a blank? As I was thinking about these things along the way, I even failed to catch what Michael Chou sitting in the passenger seat said when he talked to me a couple of times.
Illustrated Catalog of
Modern Chinese Precious Metal Coins and Medals
When arriving at the New Century Minting Co., Ltd., I only saw a very distinctive and quite small building located in a garden rather than a large plant. A leader at the mint was already waiting for reception, and he took us up to the second floor by lift. We passed along several offices and reached the reception room. We admired a wide range of new products in the display case, and soon Yi Shizhong, the director of the mint, arrived. I had heard of Yi Shizhong in the initial stages of my collecting modern precious metal coins and medals because of the huge blockbuster created by his Ten Marshals medals. I had previously heard that it was his son who was running this company, so it did not occur to me that Mr. Yi would come to receive us personally.
When the legendary Yi Shizhong came, we went to his office which was full of a sense of art. I was refreshed by the paintings, the artistic medals, and his hand-engraved plaster in the office. After all, this was the elegant office of an artist. I had the honor of taking a picture with Yi Shizhong in front of the artwork in his office.
Other guests invited to the first strike ceremony were Yu Min, former senior designer of the Shanghai Mint and judge of the Coin of the Year Award, Mateo Zhao, CCG Asian Business Development Vice President, and Deng Weibin of the World Platinum Investment Council. Yu Min who designed and engraved the Macau Numismatic Society 10th Anniversary Panda Commemorative Medal hand signed 100 certificates. I captured this extremely meaningful moment and took photos and videos for record. After Yu Min signed the last certificate, we took a group photo at the suggestion of Yi Shizhong.
When the grand first strike ceremony was about to begin, we entered the operating room to start the first strike ceremony. This room is a modest office with two modest striking machines side by side, not at all the large and loud striking machines I imagined. This is the most advanced striking machine specialized for the trial production of new products in China.
After a staff gave a demonstration, Yu Min was the first to strike. His hands gently pressed the start button, and the machine ran. A beautiful commemorative medal was made. At this time, my nervous and apprehensive mood quickly calmed down.
I was the second to strike. I was still a little nervous. My fingers pressed tightly on the button, as I was afraid that it would fail if I released the button. In a matter of seconds, a completed medal was presented on the machine. I held the medal gently. A beautiful medal was successfully struck! Later I was told that as long as you press the start button, the machine will begin to strike, and the button can be released, as the machine will automatically complete the program to strike. Looking at the Macau Numismatic Society 10th Anniversary Panda Commemorative Medal, which was just minted, its sandblasting is even and delicate like the morning mist, and the mirror surface glitters with light without a trace of imprint. The two giant pandas are especially cute with their fluff of two colors. As it was the first commemorative medal that I made with my own hands, it increased my love for this medal, and afterward, I was fortunate enough to get a 2 oz. Macau 10th Anniversary Gold Medal.
My experience in collecting dozens of overseas gold showmedals is quite interesting. When I collected modern Chinese precious metal coins, I found that some of the gold and silver medals without denomination were even more beautiful, fine, and culturally significant than some of the coins. These medals also reflect the culture and famous sites of China and the host country. In particular, most of the overseas show medal feature China’s unique endangered giant pandas on the obverse side. These pandas are different from those on the issued panda coins, as they are specially designed by the artists for the overseas show medals, with the names of pandas such as Tongtong and Lanlan inscribed. Therefore, these medals are deeply loved by panda enthusiasts.
To this end, I specialize in research on overseas show medals by visiting the designers and engravers. They said that the leaders of the mints paid great attention to the design and manufacture of the overseas show medals and talked to them especially, as these medals show the level of minting in China.
China did not produce modern precious metal coins until 1979, as the last of the world's major countries to issue modern precious metal coins. It is a product of reform and opening up. At that time, China had no international sales channels, nor had international collectors and dealers been aware of China's minting ability. Meanwhile, the reform and opening up needed a large number of foreign exchanges urgently, so it was necessary to publicize more and get more orders.
The mintage of Chinese overseas show medals is limited, and they are only sold at international coin shows. The medals which did not sell at the shows would be melted in time to produce new medals for the following shows. The best of these medals are the favorites of international coin collectors. As I understood the value of these gold and silver medals, I started collecting my first overseas gold show medals on September 20, 1994. I had collected for 10 consecutive years and managed to collect all these medals in 2003. When I worked on the catalog of precious metal coins and medals of the People's Republic of China in 2003, I added information about all the overseas precious metal show medals issued by China in the catalog, to facilitate the numismatists for reference.
From the 1984 Hong Kong International Coin Show to the 1997 Munich International Coin Show in Germany, the People's Bank of China issued a total of 19 silver overseas show medals and 30 gold ones (including platinum, palladium, and bimetal types). After 1997, there were so many orders commissioned by foreigners that the People's Bank of China stopped issuing overseas show medals from 1998 onwards.
It was regretful to see such the medal program stopped, so I suggested in many meetings to continue the issuance of overseas show medals, but there was no response for ten years. Fortunately, such an excellent theme was continued by Panda America in 2012. After more than a decade, the Singapore International Coin Show Medal was issued in 2012, followed by the U.S. Coin Show in Long Beach, the World Numismatic Exhibition in Berlin, Germany in 2012, and the 60th-anniversary gold and silver medal for the U.S. Coin Show in Florida.
It is Champion Auction that has really continued and carried forward the overseas show medals. Since 2014, Champion has worked with the Macau Numismatic Society to issue commemorative medals in platinum, gold, silver, and copper for the annual meeting of the society. Since 2016, palladium, gold, silver, and copper medals have been issued for the World Money Fair in Berlin, Germany, and gold, silver, copper, and three-colors (copper, white copper, and brass) medals for the ANA International Coin Show, in Anaheim. The design and production of these medals contain a lot of new thinking and new technology, such as the use of nanometers, polymer, and other new materials, to produce medals that collectors appreciate. These medals are often sold out on the first day of the show. I hope that Champion Auction will continue the overseas show medal programs and make better medals for numismatists.
When the legendary Yi Shizhong came, we went to his office which was full of a sense of art. I was refreshed by the paintings, the artistic medals, and his hand-engraved plaster in the office. After all, this was the elegant office of an artist. I had the honor of taking a picture with Yi Shizhong in front of the artwork in his office.
Other guests invited to the first strike ceremony were Yu Min, former senior designer of the Shanghai Mint and judge of the Coin of the Year Award, Mateo Zhao, CCG Asian Business Development Vice President, and Deng Weibin of the World Platinum Investment Council. Yu Min who designed and engraved the Macau Numismatic Society 10th Anniversary Panda Commemorative Medal hand signed 100 certificates. I captured this extremely meaningful moment and took photos and videos for record. After Yu Min signed the last certificate, we took a group photo at the suggestion of Yi Shizhong.
When the grand first strike ceremony was about to begin, we entered the operating room to start the first strike ceremony. This room is a modest office with two modest striking machines side by side, not at all the large and loud striking machines I imagined. This is the most advanced striking machine specialized for the trial production of new products in China.
After a staff gave a demonstration, Yu Min was the first to strike. His hands gently pressed the start button, and the machine ran. A beautiful commemorative medal was made. At this time, my nervous and apprehensive mood quickly calmed down.
I was the second to strike. I was still a little nervous. My fingers pressed tightly on the button, as I was afraid that it would fail if I released the button. In a matter of seconds, a completed medal was presented on the machine. I held the medal gently. A beautiful medal was successfully struck! Later I was told that as long as you press the start button, the machine will begin to strike, and the button can be released, as the machine will automatically complete the program to strike. Looking at the Macau Numismatic Society 10th Anniversary Panda Commemorative Medal, which was just minted, its sandblasting is even and delicate like the morning mist, and the mirror surface glitters with light without a trace of imprint. The two giant pandas are especially cute with their fluff of two colors. As it was the first commemorative medal that I made with my own hands, it increased my love for this medal, and afterward, I was fortunate enough to get a 2 oz. Macau 10th Anniversary Gold Medal.
My experience in collecting dozens of overseas gold showmedals is quite interesting. When I collected modern Chinese precious metal coins, I found that some of the gold and silver medals without denomination were even more beautiful, fine, and culturally significant than some of the coins. These medals also reflect the culture and famous sites of China and the host country. In particular, most of the overseas show medal feature China’s unique endangered giant pandas on the obverse side. These pandas are different from those on the issued panda coins, as they are specially designed by the artists for the overseas show medals, with the names of pandas such as Tongtong and Lanlan inscribed. Therefore, these medals are deeply loved by panda enthusiasts.
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| Yu Min, Michael Chou, and Yi Shizhong
examining the first strike coin
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Striking the Macau Panda Medal | Showing the Macau Panda Medal |
To this end, I specialize in research on overseas show medals by visiting the designers and engravers. They said that the leaders of the mints paid great attention to the design and manufacture of the overseas show medals and talked to them especially, as these medals show the level of minting in China.
China did not produce modern precious metal coins until 1979, as the last of the world's major countries to issue modern precious metal coins. It is a product of reform and opening up. At that time, China had no international sales channels, nor had international collectors and dealers been aware of China's minting ability. Meanwhile, the reform and opening up needed a large number of foreign exchanges urgently, so it was necessary to publicize more and get more orders.
The mintage of Chinese overseas show medals is limited, and they are only sold at international coin shows. The medals which did not sell at the shows would be melted in time to produce new medals for the following shows. The best of these medals are the favorites of international coin collectors. As I understood the value of these gold and silver medals, I started collecting my first overseas gold show medals on September 20, 1994. I had collected for 10 consecutive years and managed to collect all these medals in 2003. When I worked on the catalog of precious metal coins and medals of the People's Republic of China in 2003, I added information about all the overseas precious metal show medals issued by China in the catalog, to facilitate the numismatists for reference.
From the 1984 Hong Kong International Coin Show to the 1997 Munich International Coin Show in Germany, the People's Bank of China issued a total of 19 silver overseas show medals and 30 gold ones (including platinum, palladium, and bimetal types). After 1997, there were so many orders commissioned by foreigners that the People's Bank of China stopped issuing overseas show medals from 1998 onwards.
It was regretful to see such the medal program stopped, so I suggested in many meetings to continue the issuance of overseas show medals, but there was no response for ten years. Fortunately, such an excellent theme was continued by Panda America in 2012. After more than a decade, the Singapore International Coin Show Medal was issued in 2012, followed by the U.S. Coin Show in Long Beach, the World Numismatic Exhibition in Berlin, Germany in 2012, and the 60th-anniversary gold and silver medal for the U.S. Coin Show in Florida.
It is Champion Auction that has really continued and carried forward the overseas show medals. Since 2014, Champion has worked with the Macau Numismatic Society to issue commemorative medals in platinum, gold, silver, and copper for the annual meeting of the society. Since 2016, palladium, gold, silver, and copper medals have been issued for the World Money Fair in Berlin, Germany, and gold, silver, copper, and three-colors (copper, white copper, and brass) medals for the ANA International Coin Show, in Anaheim. The design and production of these medals contain a lot of new thinking and new technology, such as the use of nanometers, polymer, and other new materials, to produce medals that collectors appreciate. These medals are often sold out on the first day of the show. I hope that Champion Auction will continue the overseas show medal programs and make better medals for numismatists.