2 yuan 1953
Market Prices
65 salesAbout This Note
This is an exceptional example of the 1953 Chinese 2 yuan note (Pick 867), graded UNC based on visual inspection showing no wear, creases, or tears. The note features a striking blue-on-tan design with a beautifully rendered pagoda landscape on the obverse and the national emblem on the reverse, both executed with fine guilloche security patterns and ornate traditional cloud scroll borders. The vibrant colors, sharp print quality, and pristine condition make this a desirable specimen for collectors of early People's Republic currency.
Common. While early PRC currency from 1953 commands collector interest, the 2 yuan denomination was issued in significant quantities. eBay market data spanning 2012-2026 shows consistent availability across multiple condition grades, with UNC examples selling in a range of $235-$1,000 depending on eye appeal and grading. The extensive sales history (over 60 recorded transactions) indicates regular market circulation. The catalog value of $500 for UNC specimens is moderate, typical for common collectible banknotes rather than scarce issues.
Issued in 1953, two years after the proclamation of the People's Republic of China, this banknote reflects the early PRC's commitment to cultural and national identity through its design. The pagoda depicted on the obverse represents traditional Chinese architectural heritage, while the reverse features the national emblem—five stars above Tiananmen Gate—symbolizing the new communist state. The inclusion of multiple minority language scripts (Arabic, Tibetan, and Mongolian alongside Chinese) demonstrates the PRC's early emphasis on national unity across its diverse ethnic regions.
The obverse features a central vignette of a multi-tiered pagoda situated on a hillside landscape with surrounding vegetation and trees, rendered in blue ink on a light tan underprint. The composition is framed by ornate decorative borders incorporating traditional Chinese cloud scroll patterns, with decorative corner medallions bearing the numeral '2'. Two red rectangular seals or stamps appear at the bottom, serving as official marks of the issuing authority. The reverse displays the national emblem of the People's Republic of China—a representation of five stars above the Tiananmen Gate structure—centered within an equally ornate border featuring cloud scrolls and corner medallions. The design is strictly symmetrical and incorporates fine-line guilloche patterns throughout for security purposes. The note incorporates multilingual inscriptions reflecting the PRC's ethnic diversity, with Chinese, Arabic, Tibetan, and Mongolian text distributed across the reverse.
FRONT: 中国人民银行 (People's Bank of China, top center); 贰圆 (Two Yuan, left and right sides); 一九五三年 (1953, lower portion); Serial number in Roman numerals and Arabic numerals (ⅢⅢⅤ 0893819). BACK: 中国人民银行 (People's Bank of China); 贰圆 (Two Yuan); 中华人民共和国 (People's Republic of China, primary Chinese inscription); جمهورية شعبية الصينية (People's Republic of China, Arabic); ཀ་གླེང་མི་དམངས་སྲིད་གཞུང (People's Republic of China, Tibetan); 1953 (date, lower center).
The note was produced using traditional intaglio (engraved) printing combined with lithography for the colored underprints. The fine-line guilloche patterns visible throughout the design, the sharp detail in the pagoda vignette, and the precise registration of the colored underprint are characteristic of high-quality intaglio production standards employed by security printers of the era. The People's Bank of China utilized the Beijing Security Printing Plant for this 1953 issue.
The specific variety designation is S/M C283-10 per the RealBankNotes reference. The serial number format with Roman numeral prefix (ⅢⅢⅤ) followed by Arabic numerals is typical of 1953 PRC notes. No overprints, watermark variations, or other distinguishing varieties are evident in this specimen. The blue-on-light-tan color scheme represents the standard design for this Pick number; no color varieties are recorded.
