The Chinese Gold Unicorn

Gold Unicorn

The Chinese Gold Unicorn is a series of bullion coins minted between 1994 and 1997 and created primarily for the export market. The coins are so named as each coin has an image of a unicorn on it.

The Chines gold unicorn coins were minted in fairly low mintages and are therefore not always easy to find. The coins themselves were minted as 5 oz, 1 oz, 1/2 oz, 1/4 oz, 1/10 oz, and 1/20 oz although there were also a few other sizes as large as 20 oz or 32.15 oz which is a full 1 kg.

The obverse shows the unicorn and denomination.

 

Gold Unicorn Obverse
Gold Unicorn Obverse (image: M J Hughes Coins)

 

The reverse varies but often shows mythical Chinese Kirin.

 

Gold Unicorn Reverse
Gold Unicorn Reverse (image: M J Hughes Coins)

 

Besides being minted in gold, silver and platinum were also used and a bimetallic (gold inner/silver outer) coin was made in 1994 and 1995. All the metals are 99.9% fine.

Colossal Unicorn Sets

You find many unicorns as being sold as sets, with 2/3/4/5 coins and mixed between different sizes and different metals. So a 3-coin set may be 1 gold and 2 silver coins or 3 gold coins, so check the contents before buying any named set.

Special sets, know as the Colossal Unicorn Sets, contain 12 or 14 (in 1996) coins which contain all the unicorn coins for that year except for the 1 kg coin. Colossal sets are very rare and expensive (as in six figures). There were only 15 made in each year and even the original box is much sought after.

All coins are low mintage

As some of these coins were probably sent to the melting pot without people realising their numismatic potential, the actual number of coins in circulation are not well known, but initial mintages were low. The 1 oz (denominated 100 Yuan) coin was only 800 to 1000 per year.

The 1 kg gold unicorn (denominated at 2,000 Yuan) is obviously very expensive – probably around £250,000+.


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2024 The Royal Tudor Beasts - Seymour Unicorn 1oz Gold Proof Coin PF70
2024 The Royal Tudor Beasts - Seymour Unicorn 1oz Gold Proof Coin PF70
£ 3,250.00
1oz Gold Coin, Unicorn of Scotland - Queen
1oz Gold Coin, Unicorn of Scotland - Queen's Beast 2018
£ 3,010.76
£1 One Pound Proof Gold Coin Lion Unicorn 2008
£1 One Pound Proof Gold Coin Lion Unicorn 2008
£ 1,320.60
2023 1oz Niue Silver Scottish Unicorn Black Platinum 24k Gold Gilded Coin
2023 1oz Niue Silver Scottish Unicorn Black Platinum 24k Gold Gilded Coin
£ 113.97
2024 Silver Tudor Beasts Seymour Unicorn 2oz .999 Gilded Coin RM
2024 Silver Tudor Beasts Seymour Unicorn 2oz .999 Gilded Coin RM
£ 149.99
2018 Silver Queens Beasts Unicorn of Scotland 2 Oz 999 24k Gilded Coin Edition
2018 Silver Queens Beasts Unicorn of Scotland 2 Oz 999 24k Gilded Coin Edition
£ 215.99
Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Gold Coin Old Crown Unicorn Dragon Lion Harp
Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Gold Coin Old Crown Unicorn Dragon Lion Harp
£ 19.99
China ~ 1996 P ~ 5 Yuan ~ Unicorn ~ PCGS ~ PR 69 DC ~ 1/20 oz Gold Coin ~$288.88
China ~ 1996 P ~ 5 Yuan ~ Unicorn ~ PCGS ~ PR 69 DC ~ 1/20 oz Gold Coin ~$288.88
£ 228.73

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