China Peking Opera Silver Proof Coin Series
All about Chinese Peking Opera Silver Coins
For three years beginning in 2010 two silver coins weighing 1 troy oz. of .999 silver are released commemorating the colorful masks from the opera. The official mint packaging is an illustrated outer box and ornate presentation case with COA. The silver coins are legal tender in China and are struck at the Shenzhen Guobuo Mint with a mintage figure of 50,000.
The historic Chinese Peking Opera is over 200 years old and invokes a strong sense of national pride as the most influential opera in China. Tradition has the actors create vibrantly colored masks representing the personality of the characters they play. There is an old saying that loosely translates "to play a god you must wear a mask, but to play a ghost all you need is a little paint on your face". Traditional craftsmen who carved these masks of the Gods held that once the eyes were carved the mask became filled with the Gods spirit.
Over time it became increasingly accepted to play Gods on the stage instead of temples and in 2008 Beijing schools officially added The Peking Opera as a course to preserve the history and traditional art for generations to come. These beautiful proof coins are sure to highlight and enhance that effort. There are also 5 ounce silver and 1/4 ounce gold coins but I will leave that for another time. I hope you enjoy the review!
China 2012 Peking Opera Silver Proof Set
Series III
The reverse showcases the facial mask of Zhang Fei & Tao Hong, two popular characters in Chinese stage plays and the 10 Yuan face value.
The obverse displays the emblem of the People's Republic of China, the title of PRC and the year 2012, the background of a traditional Chinese cloud pattern, and Hai Shui Jiang Ya--the most well known design from stage costumes of the Peking Opera.
The 2012 issuance was the last pair in the three-set series of the Peking Opera mask commemorative coins. The 2012 silver coins below are from my personal collection.
NGC PF70 China 2012 Peking Opera Silver Proof Set - Perfect Chinese Silver!!!
China 2012 Peking Opera Silver Video View
China 2011 Peking Opera Silver Proof Set - Series II
Each of the two 2011 silver coins carry a face value of 10 yuan and are 40 millimeters in diameter. Minted in 99.9% fine silver, each coin contains 1 troy ounce of pure silver.
The official release date for the coins from Series II was April 15th, 2011. The mint released images are above.
China 2011 Peking Opera Silver Video View
2011 CHINESE PEKING OPERA FACIAL MASK COLORED SILVER COIN (SERIES II) - "LU ZHISHEN"
2011 CHINESE PEKING OPERA FACIAL MASK COLORED SILVER COIN (SERIES II) - "SHAN XIONGXIN"
China 2010 Peking Opera Silver Proof Set - Series I
The silver coin releases for 2010 are both 40 mm in diameter and depict Dian Wei and Zhong Kui, two historic figures in Chinese story telling. Each contain one troy ounce of 99.9% fine silver. This was the inaugural release of the 3 year planned series with 2 silver mask coins released in 2011 and 2012 respectively.
The legal tender status is 10 yuan and with a maximum circulation of 50,000 coins. The mint released image is above.
Series Silver Coin Specifications:
Legal Tender: 10Yuan
Composition: 99.9% fine silver
Finish: proof
Weight: 1 Troy Ounce or 31.1 grams
Diameter: 40mm
Mintage: 50,000 per design
