Turn Right at the Asteroid

It’s still early in the morning. Inside the Donald E. Stephens Convention Center in Rosemont, Illinois, hundreds of coin dealers chat, drink coffee, and prepare their tables. A large crowd of coin collectors mill about outside the main hall, ready to enjoy the third day of the World’s Fair of Money exposition presented by the American Numismatic Association.

One floor below, dozens of people file into a conference room to participate in the 2024 PCGS Set Registry Breakfast. There were awards for best sets and special lifetime achievement honors for three people who have devoted their adult lives to the advancement of numismatics: Stack’s Bowers Galleries Executive Vice President Christine Karstedt, veteran California coin dealer Ronald J. Gillio, and late coin dealer Robert Lecce. As the awards are given, PCGS President Stephanie Sabin talks about the importance of coins and set registries in bringing together people from all walks of life and areas of the world.

Indeed, sets are fundamental to coin collectors young and old. From the challenge for a youngster to fill every spot in a coin folder to the completion of a “master set” of every Mint State gold Panda coin ever released by China, there is something satisfying about the completion of a set. Upstairs in the main hall the American Numismatic Association (ANA) supports its mission to educate and encourage with a large section that is reserved for collector exhibits.

For those inclined this can be the most interesting section of the entire show. Like sets, the collector exhibits delve into every corner of the world that relates to numismatics, which is almost everything. It can range from ancient Asian coinage connected to Alexander the Great, coins with prehistoric creatures on them, or high-tech metallurgy. You name it. The 2024 World’s Fair of Money was held during the Olympic Games in Paris, and this reminded me of an ANA collector exhibit about Olympic participation medals. These lovely medals are given to not only every athlete, but every coach, every trainer, every presenter, every official, even every usher and security guard who works at the Games. There are tens of thousands, if not hundreds of thousands, of these medals in existence and owning one allows us spectators to touch a piece of the Games.

It was a pair of ANA collector displays in 2019 that started me off on a set building adventure that continues to this day. One Giant Leap...The 50th Anniversary of Apollo 11 was the subject of one showcase and the Women of NASA was the other. As I admired the collection of coins, medals, pins, and even space-themed cookies, it reminded me of the vinyl record Flight to the Moon: The Official NASA voice tapes of the Flight of Apollo 11 that is still in my record cabinet at home. Back in the days of Apollo spaceflights my numismatic interests were confined to American coins, but that grew to include Mexican and later Chinese coins. As I looked at the showcases it occurred to me, “What space flight coins and medals has China issued?”

It turns out quite a few. The following is a survey of commemorative coins and medals struck at official Shanghai, Shenyang, and Nanjing government mints. The information on the space program and missions is drawn from the Chasing Dreams Across the Heavens exhibition at the Hong Kong Museum of Natural History and the Hong Kong Science Museum from November 2023 through January 2024, information on certificates of authenticity, and the official China Gold Coin website.

1996 40th Anniversary of China’s Aerospace Industry

• Face value: 10 yuan.
• Material: .999 silver.
• Weight: 1 ounce.
• Diameter: 40 millimeters.
• Mintage: 20,000 sets struck at Shanghai Mint.
• Reverse image: Long March 2E rocket designed by Zhang Chunye. Communications satellite designed by Xiang Liming.
• Obverse image: National emblem and Great Wall designed by Yu Youkui.

2003 Success of China’s First Manned Space Flight

• Face value: 150 yuan.
• Material: .999 gold.
• Weight: 1/3 ounce.
• Diameter: 23 millimeters.
• Mintage: 30,000 struck at Shenyang Mint.
• Reverse image: The first Chinese astronaut, the rocket and spacecraft in outer space designed by Luo Yonghui and Han Xiaosheng.
• Obverse image: Solar System designed by Yu Min and Liu Hongpeng.

• Face value: 10 yuan.
• Material: .999 silver.
• Weight: 1 ounce.
• Diameter: 40 millimeters.
• Mintage: 60,000 struck at Shenyang Mint.
• Reverse image: The first Chinese astronaut, the rocket and spacecraft in outer space designed by Luo Yonghui and Han Xiaosheng.
• Obverse image: Solar System designed by Yu Min and Liu Hongpeng.

• Face value: none (medal).
• Material: .999 silver.
• Weight: 42 grams.
• Diameter: 45 millimeters.
• Mintage: 4,500 struck at Shanghai Mint.
• Background information: On October 15, 2003, a Long March 2F Y5 carrier rocket carrying the Shenzhou-5 manned spacecraft with astronaut Yang Liwei was successfully launched from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center.
• Reverse designs: The first Chinese astronaut, the rocket, and the spacecraft in outer space.
• Obverse design: Map of the Solar System and date.

2007 Successful Launch of Chang’e-1 Moon Probe

• Face value: 150 yuan.
• Material: .999 gold.
• Weight: 1/3 ounce.
• Diameter: 23 millimeters.
• Mintage: 20,000 struck at Shenyang Mint.
• Reverse image: Moon and Chang’e-1 lunar probe with distant Earth by Li Jiye and Wang Yunye.
• Obverse image: Solar System designed by Yu Min and Liu Hongpeng.

• Face Value: 10 yuan.
• Material: .999 silver.
• Weight: 1 ounce.
• Diameter: 40 millimeters.
• Mintage: 40,000 struck at Shenyang Mint.
• Reverse image: Moon and Chang’e-1 lunar probe with distant earth by Li Jiye and Wang Yunye.
• Obverse image: Solar System designed by Yu Min and Liu Hongpeng.
• Background information: The Chang'e-1 lunar probe is named for a mythical Chinese goddess who flew to the moon. It launched on a Long March 3A carrier rocket on Oct. 24 from the Xichang Satellite Launch Centre.

2008 Success of China’s First Space Walk

• Face value: 150 yuan.
• Material: .999 gold.
• Weight: 1/3 ounce.
• Diameter: 23 millimeters.
• Mintage: 30,000 struck at Shenyang Mint.
• Reverse image: Astronaut’s space walk designed by Song Yingchun and Jin Yaxuan.
• Obverse image: Solar System designed by Yu Min and Liu Hongpeng.

• Face Value: 10 yuan.
• Material: .999 silver.
• Weight: 1 ounce.
• Diameter: 40 millimeters.
• Mintage: 60,000 struck at Shenyang Mint.
• Reverse image: The first Chinese astronaut, the rocket, and spacecraft in outer space designed by Luo Yonghui and Han Xiaosheng.
• Obverse image: Solar System designed by Yu Min and Liu Hongpeng.
• Background information: On September 25, 2008, a Long March 2F Y5 carrier rocket carrying the Shenzhou-7 manned spacecraft was successfully launched from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center. On September 27, 2008, astronauts Zhai Zhigang and Liu Boming conducted China’s first-ever extravehicular activity. On September 28, 2008, they returned safely to Earth.

2012 20th Anniversary of China’s Manned Space Program

• Face value: none (medal).
• Material: brass.
• Weight: 640 grams.
• Dimensions: 108 millimeters by 81 millimeters.
• Mintage: 2012 struck at the Shanghai Mint.
• Reverse image: China’s space heroes, representatives of scientific and technological workers and representatives of agriculture, industry, and commerce.
• Obverse image: Three major breakthroughs in China’s aerospace industry: space flight, extravehicular walk, and space docking. The background is decorated with the picture of Chinese spacecraft traveling in space with engraved dates. Both sides were designed by Luo Yonghui.

2013 Great Achievements of China Aerospace

• Face value: none (medal).
• Material: bronze.
• Weight: — . Diameter: 60 millimeters.
• Mintage: 100,000 struck at the Nanjing Mint.
• Reverse image: A giant Long March rocket flanked by the years of China’s aerospace record from the establishment of the Aviation Industry Committee in 1956 to 2013.
• Obverse image: Dongfanghong satellite. Long March rocket, Lunar orbit, the docking of Shenzhou-10 and Tiangong. The lines in the back represent the spacecraft flight path. Both sides were designed by Zhou Jian.

2014 Success of China’s First Moon Landing

• Face value: 100 yuan.
• Material: .999 gold.
• Weight: 1/4 ounce.
• Diameter: 22 millimeters.
• Mintage: 7,000 struck at Shenzhen Guobao Mint.
• Reverse image: The Moon rover designed by Qiu Yanxin.
• Obverse image: National emblem.

• Face value: 10 yuan.
• Material: .999 silver.
• Weight: 1 ounce.
• Diameter: 40 millimeters.
• Mintage: 14,000 struck at Shenzhen Guobao Mint.
• Reverse image: The Lander and the Moon rover taking photos of each other. Designed by Zhong Chengxin and Deng Shanshan.
• Obverse image: National emblem.
• Background information: On October 24, 2014, China launched an experimental re-entry capsule and a service module designed to be used for a lunar landing by Chang'e-5 in 2020. On December 1, 2020, the Chang'e-5 lunar lander-ascender combination successfully landed and began collecting samples from the near side of the Moon’s surface. On December 3, 2020, the ascender took off from the lunar surface and entered a preset lunar orbit. It then successfully met and docked with the orbiter-returner combination in lunar orbit. There it transferred the samples to the returner. The returner successfully landed in Siziwang Banner, Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region on December 17, 2020.

2015 China Spaceflight

• Face value: 10 yuan.
• Material: bimetallic copper alloy.
• Diameter: 27 millimeters. Mintage: 100 million.
• Reverse image: The Shenzhou 9 near-orbit docking spacecraft pattern. From the right above the outer ring of the background are the Dongfanghong-1 satellite, Shenzhou-5, Chang'e-1, lunar rover, and folk totem patterns representing the ancient Chinese dream of flying into space. The lower left is an abstract earth and Chang'e-2F carrier rocket pattern, and the lower right is a five-pointed star and star pattern evolved from a dove of peace.
• Obverse image: National emblem.
• Background information: The only circulating commemorative coin with a space theme. A matching 100 yuan commemorative banknote was released at the same time.

2021 Success of China’s First Mars Exploration Mission

• Face value: 2000 yuan.
• Material: .999 gold.
• Weight: 150 grams.
• Diameter: 60 millimeters.
• Mintage: 1,000 struck at Shenzhen Guobao Mint.
• Reverse image: The Tianwen-1 (“Exploring the Heavens”) landing platform and Mars rover, a schematic diagram of the Mars landing process, and an image of the Martian surface, plus the words China's First Mars Exploration Mission Success Tianwen-1.
• Obverse image: Logo for China’s Planetary Exploration Program.

• Face Value: 100 yuan.
• Material: .999 gold.
• Weight: 8 grams.
• Diameter: 22 millimeters.
• Mintage: 30,000 struck at Shenzhen Guobao Mint.
• Reverse image: The Mars rover on Mars.
• Obverse image: Logo for China’s Planetary Exploration Program.

• Face value: 10 yuan,
• Material: .999 silver.
• Weight: 30 grams.
• Diameter: 40 millimeters.
• Mintage: 60,000 struck at Shenzhen Guobao Mint.
• Reverse image: The Tianwen-1 orbiter circling Mars, Earth in the distance and a diagram of Tianwen-1;’s orbit.
• Obverse image: Logo for China’s Planetary Exploration Program.
• Background information: The 2000 Yuan Mars coin is the largest space-themed coin to date from China.

2022 Completion of the Tiangong Space Station

• Face value: 50 yuan.
• Material: .999 gold.
• Weight: 3 grams.
• Diameter: 18 millimeters.
• Mintage: 20,000 struck at Shenzhen Guobao Mint.
• Reverse image: An astronaut outside the Tiangong space station as it orbits the Earth.
• Obverse image: China’s national emblem. Design: Li Zhihong and Zhang Qi.

• Face value: 10 yuan.
• Material: .999 silver.
• Weight: 30 grams.
• Diameter: 40 millimeters.
• Mintage: 50,000 struck at Shenzhen Guobao Mint.
• Reverse image: Chinese astronauts' extravehicular activities outside the Tiangong space station.
• Obverse image: China’s national emblem. Design: Jian Yiping and Cao Aodong.
• Background information: The 50 Yuan Tiangong piece is the smallest space-themed coin to date from China.