China Wins Best Silver for COTY 2021 Dated Coins
China’s Auspicious Culture – Swans 20 Yuan won the Best Silver coin category in the Coin of the Year (COTY) contest for coins dated 2021. While the unique and stunning coin was a deserving winner, China only narrowly beat out the competition, with voting the closest in the COTY “Best Silver” category.
The Auspicious Culture – Swans 20 Yuan coin is issued by the People’s Bank of China. The colored reverse features a mother swan and her baby. It includes Chinese script at the top and the number 20 at the bottom. The obverse includes the Chinese characters “吉祥” and the year 2021.
The imagery of the coin reflects China’s rich biodiversity and culture. China is home to three of the world’s five species of swans. The three species recorded in China are the whooper swan (Cygnus cygnus), whistling swan (Cygnus columbianus) and mute swan (Cygnus color). In Chinese culture, the swan is seen as a symbol of grace, purity, and enlightenment. It is also thought to carry Guanyin to those in need of help and guidance.
The Swans 20 Yuan coin has a value of 20 Yuan. The non-circulating Proof, colorized coin weighs 60 grams and has a diameter of 40 mm. It was minted by the Shenzhen Guoboo Mint and has a mintage of 20,000.