China has begun circulating a rounded square 5-yuan coin, the first in a series to honor the nation’s world cultural and natural heritage UNESCO sites.

This first coin in the series features Taishan in Tai’an, in the Shandong province in China. Taishan, also known as Mount Tai, has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1987. 

The first coin was released Nov. 28. The coins are being sold at face value by banks in China, with purchases limited to persons with a Chinese ID.

These coins, though sold at face value, are extremely unlikely to be encountered in circulation. 

China periodically issues circulating commemorative coins at face value that end up being sold to collectors and speculators and quickly resold to dealers. Though these coins debut at face value, their market value quickly eclipses the nominal value.

The obverse of the Mount Tai coin features the national emblem of the People’s Republic of China. An image of Taishan appears below the emblem, with the date 2019 incused into the design. 

The reverse displays a scene of the mountain, a worker below, with text inscribed in Chinese naming the location. 

United States-based dealer Joel Anderson will be offering the coin in coming days, but a price has not been set. For more information, visit his website.

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