Lunar New Year came early for Heritage Auctions. At the company’s December 8–10, 2024, HKINF World & Ancient Coins Platinum Session and Signature® auction was a covetable collection of a decade’s worth of Chinese yuan “Lunar New Year” series coins. Crafted in the 1990s, these Ultra Cameo NGC gold coins feature frosted images of Chinese zodiacs in the form of an animal.
They are “exceedingly rare,” explains Executive Vice President of International Numismatics at Heritage Auctions, Cris Bierrenbach. “…All with very high grades.”
Among this selection is a 1997 2000-yuan proof with dimpled octagonal perimeters celebrating the “Year of the Ox.” Depicting an ox and a calf in a natural scene, the coin sold for $216,000 and is one of 15 issued.
Other Chinese “Lunar New Year” coins at the auction lacked scalloped edges but were made up in prestige and rarity. Included was a 1994 1000 yuan “Year of the Dog” that earned $66,000 as a winning bid thanks to its serial 01 status and a 1996 500 yuan “Year of the Rooster” that settled at a $43,200 winning bid. A rarely-seen-on-the-market 1991 “Year of the Goat” 1000 yuan was sold for $48,000. According to Heritage, this coin is one of the finest currently certified.
It wasn’t just lunar coins that inspired grand winning bids. A seldom-seen 1995 commemorative gold proof “Return of Taiwan” 2000 yuan honoring the 50th anniversary of Taiwan’s status as a Chinese territory was sold at a whopping $192,000. The 1997 2000 yuan “Panda,” which only comes to market every few years at any state of preservation, garnered $96,000.
“The variety and quality that can be found throughout this auction are as good as it gets,” says Bierrenbach. “This magnificent event is full of beautiful coins that …stands as a great capstone on what has been a sensational 2024 for World and Ancient coins at Heritage Auctions.”
Interested in learning the value of your Lunar New Year coin? Visit the NumisMaster database to learn more.
