Yuan Shi-Kai 20 Cents - Soviet issued

Republic of China type - under War Lord Yuan Shi-Kai. However, the details/style of this coin has been classified by experts as a very rare issue of the Chinese Soviets. The Soviets made copies of various Republic coins in order to purchase items outside of the Red Army Base Camps. Their soviet money was not accepted outside their camps due to the severe penalties and death for holding communist money.
The dollars seem to be way more prevalent than any of the fractional denominations. Lots of luster on worn dies, probably should be graded higher.
Here's a brief history of Yuan Shi-Kai:
According to the "Regulations of the National Coinage of the Republic" which was announced by the Board of Finance in 1914, these national coins were first minted by the Tientsin Mint in the 3rd year of the Republic (1914), followed by the Wuchang, Nanking, Kwangtung and Hangchow etc., mints.
Although bearing dates of Yr. 3 (1914) and Yr. 8-10 (1919-21), these Yuan Shi-Kai Dollars were struck for years afterwards. Coins dated Yr. 3 (1914) were struck continuously through 1929 and were also later restruck by the Chinese Communists. Later again in the 1950's this coin was struck for use in Tibet. Coins with dates Yr. 9. and 10 (1920 and 1921) were struck at least until 1929. The total mintage of all four dates is estimated at more than 750 million pieces.
The Yuan Shikai "dollar" issued for the first time in 1914, became a dominant coin type of the Republic of China. Yuan Shikai (16 September 1859 - 6 June 1916) was a Chinese general, politician and "emperor", famous for his influence during the late Qing Dynasty. His major role in the events leading up to the abdication of the last Qing Emperor, was his autocratic rule as the first President of the Republic of China, and his short-lived attempt to restore monarchy in China, with himself as the Hongxian Emperor.
Yuan Shih Kai (1859AD - 1916AD) was born in Hsiang-Cheng of Honan Province in the 9th year of the Hsien Fung reign. In 1882, he followed the commander of the Anhui army, Wu Chang-Ch'ing, and went to Korea to help the Korean king train a new imperial army. In 1884, he was recalled back to China. With the help of Li Hung-chang, he became a 3rd-grade official in charge of training a modern army at Hsiao-Chan near Tientsin in 1895. Later, he was promoted to the position of assistant minister in charge of military training because he pretended to support institutional reforms. In 1897, he was promoted to governor of Shantung province, and two years later he was promoted again to governor of Chihli province. In 1901 he was promoted as the minister of Peiyang, gradually becoming the leader of the Peiyang warlords, as he won the trust of Empress Dowager Szu Hsi. Yuan took part in the suppression of the Boxer Rebellion in 1900. In 1907, Yuan was summoned to the court to became a grand minister of the Privy Council and Minister of Foreign Affairs. After Dowager Empress died, he was stripped of all his offices in 1909.
In 1911, when the revolutionary uprising broke out, Yuan appeared as the only man who could lead the country to peace and unity. Yuan accepted Dr. Sun's conditions that Dr. Sun would give up his presidency and Yuan would take over for him. Yuan was the prime minister of the Qing government at that time. With the support of the imperialist powers, Yuan forced Emperor Hsuen Tung to give up his throne on 12 February 1912, thus ending the 268 years of Manchu rule. After the unification of North and South China, Yuan Shih Kai took the presidency in the first year of the Republic on 12 Feb. 1912. But Yuan attempted to be an absolute monarch of the Empire. He moved the seat of the new government from Nanking to Peking. Then, he filled all important post with his supporters. While Yuan was in complete control of the government, Yuan mobilized public opinion to make popular the idea that constitutional monarchy could save China. In 1915, Yuan accepted the Japanese imperialists' 21 Demands which were guiding China to become a colony of Japan, like Korea.
He proclaimed himself Emperor in Peking on 12 Dec. 1915, reign title as "Hung Hsien" which lasted only 83 days (12 Dec 1915 - 22 Mar 1916). Many provincial governor-generals did not accept Yuan as emperor. Facing strong opposition and in the absence of foreign support, Yuan was forced to abolish the monarchy in March 1916, and remained the president until he died on 6 June 1916. Later, those who had been under Yuan became warlords. The warlords caused China to become divided and the Warlord Era began. The warlords were not suppressed until 1926 when a coalition of Nationalist and Communist forces fought them in what was known as the Northern Expedition.

VIEW & DOWNLOAD:
Brief History of Dr. Sun Yat-Sen
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Chinese Republic Gold & Silver Coins - GREAT INFO - by Dong Wenchou:
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Communist Copies of a Republican Chinese Dollar (Yuan Shi-Kai) - Spencer
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