Book Review: "Gold & Silver Coins of China: Standard Catalogue, 1979-2017"

By David J. Camire and Michael Corley
Finalizers, Numismatic Guaranty Corporation (NGC)

Nearly forty years ago, in 1979, China issued several silver and gold commemoratives to celebrate the International Year of the Child. These coins launched the modern era of Chinese coins and were soon followed by a plethora of other series, including the widely collected Lunar Series in 1981 and Panda Series in 1982.

The popularity of modern Chinese coin collecting has grown rapidly in the years since, particularly in the last decade. Nonetheless, accurate and detailed information about these interesting coins has been surprisingly scarce.

China Gold Coin Incorporation (CGCI) has published catalogs of modern Chinese coins since 1988, but their availability is limited, and there are no estimated values for the listed coins. Other authors have covered specific coins or series in books or articles, but a comprehensive reference for modern Chinese coins has been conspicuously absent.

This is no longer the case. A new reference, "Gold & Silver Coins of China: Standard Catalogue, 1979-2017," covers the nearly 40 years of modern gold and silver Chinese coins in one easy-to-use book. Written by Leo Wang, King L Chan, and Jerry Lin, three respected experts affiliated with NGC, this book is by far the most comprehensive resource ever compiled on the subject.

Thousands of modern Chinese coins have been issued in a wide range of designs, metals, weights, face values and varieties – a testament to the vibrancy of Chinese numismatics. This book neatly catalogs all of them with high-resolution images, specifications (including designers, diameters, planned mintages and actual mintages) and estimated values (in original mint packaging and graded NGC MS 69 or PF 69 Ultra Cameo).

Important information is displayed in both Chinese and English, making this book useful for collectors and dealers both in China and abroad. In addition, every variety in the book is recognized by NGC under its VarietyPlus service, which makes this book an essential reference for submitters to NGC and collectors of NGC-certified coins.

Collectors and professionals of all levels can benefit from the wealth of helpful information contained in “Gold & Silver Coins of China: Standard Catalogue, 1979-2017.” In fact, all of NGC’s modern Chinese coin graders will have a copy of this book and will likely reference it on a daily basis.