Auto Dollar

Auto Dollar
ValueOne yuan (壹圆/壹圓)
Mass25.80 g
Diameter39 mm
ShapeRound
CompositionSilver
Years of mintingROC 17 (1928)
Mintage648,000
Obverse
DesignZhou Xicheng's car driving on a road, with grass along the front arranged to spell his personal name
Reverse
DesignChinese text surrounding a central flower motif
Auto Dollar
Traditional Chinese貴州汽車幣
Simplified Chinese贵州汽车币
Literal meaningGuizhou automobile coin
Transcriptions
Standard Mandarin
Hanyu PinyinGuìzhōu qìchē bì
Wade–GilesKuei4-chou1 Chʻi4-chʻe1 Pi4
Yue: Cantonese
Yale Romanizationgwai jāu hei chē baih
Alternative Chinese name
Traditional Chinese汽車錢
Simplified Chinese汽车钱
Literal meaningAutomobile money
Transcriptions
Standard Mandarin
Hanyu PinyinQìchē qián
Wade–GilesChʻi4-chʻe1 Chʻien2
Yue: Cantonese
Yale Romanizationhei chē chín

The Auto Dollar (simplified Chinese: 贵州汽车币; traditional Chinese: 貴州汽車幣; pinyin: Guìzhōu qìchē bì; lit. 'Guizhou automobile coin', also known as the Motorcar Dollar or Kweichow Auto Dollar) is a silver one yuan coin minted by Chinese warlord Zhou Xicheng [zh] in 1928 to commemorate the construction of roadways in Guizhou province. The obverse of the coin features an automobile driving along a road, flanked by grass arranged to spell out Zhou's personal name, Xicheng (西成; Xīchéng).

Zhou rose to power in the mid-1920s. He subsequently acquired the rural province's first known automobile, and oversaw the construction of roadways across the region. Although some sources described Zhou's automobile as a soft-topped model from the Hudson Motor Car Company, the vehicle featured on the coin does not appear to closely correspond to any specific make or model. 648,000 coins of the type were produced at a small mint established by Zhou in Guiyang. The coin fell out of regular circulation in the early 1930s, partially due to demand from international coin collectors. The Auto Dollar is a rare and heavily counterfeited type; a certified example graded in mint condition sold for US$336,000 at a 2023 auction.