Owner Comments:
Last Year of the Unicorn Series - The Chinese Unicorns had a short 4 year run from 1994 to 1997. The mintages on these issues are on the low side. Based on what I’ve read, the 1994 mint state coin had a mintage limit of only 50,000. That may seem like a lot but relative to other modern issues it’s tiny. By way of comparison, the US mint at one point estimated that 47,000 of the “Reverse of 2007” Silver Eagle errors had been produced. The error that everyone went so crazy over had a mintage almost as large as this coin’s production limit. Only 16 of the 1994 Unicorns have been graded MS69 with none finer. Approximately 110 of the 1997 Unicorns have been graded MS69. So far only 1 1996 proof has received a 70. Again, compared to most other coins, there aren't many of these around.
The prices on the one ounce Unicorns have managed to stay fairly low as the demand for them isn’t as strong as with other series. I’m not sure that most people even know about them. I posted a picture of the 1997 in the forums when I bought it a few weeks ago. Several of the other forum members expressed their surprise upon seeing the pictures. Even other coin collectors had not known about the coin previously. As a set, they’re largely overshadowed by the vastly more popular Panda series.
The Unicorns have wonderful artwork and they’re fun to look at. I particularly like the reverse side of the 1994. It’s oddly difficult for me to put into words exactly what it is I like about these coin designs. They just impress me on a very fundamental level. I’m ultimately forced to rely on pictures and hope that some of you agree.
With regard to the 1997, I've heard a number of people complain that the Western unicorn looks awkwardly or unnaturally positioned. I think this largely comes from the unicorn being allowed to "float." There is no foreground or background in this design. At least with the Eastern unicorn on the other side, the animal is seen to be riding on clouds. There's not even that much for the Western half. Without it, the viewer has no context for examining the stance of the unicorn. I don't know if the position is actually all that awkward, the coin does little to diminish this impression. Even so, I find it to be a handsome design.