Specimen Nickel Pattern coin 1932 Gold standard 2 Cents Plum flower Rep.Year 21
Republic of China
Specimen Pattern Nickel coin, Gold standard 2 Cents
金本位幣貳仙


 
Obverse:
Plum flower
 
仙貳幣位本金
 
Gold standard 2 Cents
 
Reverse：
the twelve rays of the white Sun
 
Lettering: 
 
年一十二國民華中
 
Year 21 (1932)
 
Edge:
Smooth
 
 
REFORMED COINAGE OF 1936
As part of their Fa Bi (Legal tender) reforms of 1936 the Nationalist Government introduced a series of small denomination coins at a new mint set up in Shanghai, in nickel or cupro-nickel and copper, which continued to be minted until 1942-1943. The cupro-nickel coins except for the smallest denomination, the 5 fen, had the portrait of Sun Yat-sen on the obverse and a representation of an ancient spade coin (pu) on the reverse together with the value in Chinese characters. The copper coins had an obverse design of the Chinese national sun emblem, also with a pu reverse and the denomination.
The initial series comprised 20 fen, 10 fen, 5 fen in cupro-nickel and a one fen and half fen in copper. The half fen coin was discontinued after the first issue, but a small brass 2 fen coin was added in 1939 and a half dollar (50 fen) cupro-nickel in 1941. The 1 fen coin was changed to a smaller brass coin in 1939 and then to an aluminum coin in 1940. The 5 fen also became an aluminum coin during the same year. The weight of the 10 fen coin was reduced in 1940 and when the 20 fen coin was minted again in 1942 it was also at a reduced weight.<