Taiwan (1981) 5 yuan KM-Y552
Taiwan was originally administered as part of Fujian Province. The archipelago became its own province in 1875. It was seized by Japan in the First Sino-Japanese War in 1895, and returned in 1945. The Republic of China government made Taiwan its seat in 1949, and it has been administered as a separate country since, though the People’s Republic of China does not recognize its independence. This type is common and depicts Chiang Kai-Shek, who ruled the island 1949-75. It was introduced in year 70 (1981) and was still in production in year 102 (2013). It superseded the larger KM Y552, which was 9.5 g. At the current exchange rate of US$1 = 30.49 yuan (December 2019), this coin has a face value of 16.4¢.
Recorded mintage: 162,000,000 of Y548 plus 522,432,000 of Y552.
Specification: 4.4 g, copper-nickel, 22 mm diameter.
Catalog reference: KM Y552.
- Michael, Thomas, and Tracy L. Schmidt, Standard Catalog of World Coins, 1901-2000, 47th ed., Iola, WI: Krause Publications, 2019.
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