Gold 20 Yuan

The 20 Yuan gold coin from 1910 features the portrait of Puyi, the six-year-old emperor whose reign ended in revolution just a year later.

Struck at the Peking Mint using 90% pure gold, these coins were part of the Qing's futile currency reforms amid mounting debt. The obverse shows Puyi's profile, while the reverse depicts a imperial dragon, a design choice that echoed centuries of tradition even as the empire crumbled. We don't know the exact mintage figures; records from that era are spotty at best.

What survives today often shows wear from circulation in turbulent times. If you're handling one, note the edge reeding—it's finer than on earlier issues, a small but telling sign of modern influences. As for rarity, let's just say finding a pristine example might take longer than it did for the Qing to fall.