On April 10th, it was announced that the People's Bank of China will issue a set of commemorative gold and silver coins for the 40th anniversary of China's polar scientific expedition on April 17, 2024.
This set of commemorative coins consists of two pieces, including one gold coin and one silver coin, both of which are legal tender of the People's Republic of China.
Both coins are inscribed with the words "40th Anniversary of China's Polar Scientific Expedition".
The gold coin, weighing 8 grams and with a diameter of 22 millimeters, contains 8 grams of pure gold, with a face value of 100 CNY and a fineness of 99.9%. The maximum issuance is set at 10,000 pieces.
The reverse side features a penguin, the polar research vessel "Xuelong" (Snow Dragon), along with a combination design including partial contours of the Antarctic map and the positions of China's five Antarctic research stations and polar fixed-wing aircraft.
The 30-gram round silver commemorative coin contains 30 grams of pure silver, with a diameter of 40 millimeters and a face value of 10 CNY. It has a fineness of 99.9% and a maximum mintage of 50,000 pieces.
The reverse side features the "Xuelong 2" polar research vessel, scenes of ice core sampling by the Chinese polar research team, a polar bear, supplemented by partial outlines of the Arctic map and the locations of two Chinese Arctic research stations, as well as auroras, combined in the design.
This set of commemorative coins is minted by Shenzhen Guobao Mint Co., Ltd., and is distributed by China Gold Coin Incorporation.
It is understood that in the history of issuing precious metal commemorative coins in China, a large number of them have been issued with themes related to construction achievements, mainly focusing on aerospace and major engineering projects.
The issuance of the Chinese polar scientific research gold and silver commemorative coins will fill the gap in themes related to marine scientific research and polar governance, thereby enriching the treasure trove of precious metal commemorative coins.
