The first set, from 1980 to 1986, was called "Great Wall Coins" in the industry, with a small circulation, and had long since withdrawn from the circulation market and entered the collection market.
The second set, from 1991 to 2001, was called "Lao Sanhua" in the industry, referring to "peony 1 yuan", "plum blossom 5 jiao", "chrysanthemum 1 jiao". Among them, the "peony 1 yuan" and "chrysanthemum 1 jiao" issued in 2000 belong to non-circulating coins, which have not been circulated and used in the market, and are only issued in sets, and its collection value is about 1,000 yuan. (The number of issuances is small, and it is difficult for the average person to see it.) Around 1996, it was rumored that the pentame contained gold and was used to make jewelry, and the number of surviving coins decreased dramatically. In fact, the plum blossom 5 corners are copper-zinc alloy, but the yellow and clear ones look like gold.
The third set, from 1999 to 2019, is known as "New Sanhua" in the industry, which refers to "1 yuan of chrysanthemum", "5 jiao of lotus" and "1 corner of orchid". Among them, the 5 corners of the lotus are made of steel material copper plating process, and the copper content is negligible, so don't think it's copper.
The fourth set, which began to be released in 2019, is called "White Sanhua", which is still "Chrysanthemum 1 Yuan", "Lotus 5 Jiao", and "Orchid 1 Jiao". Compared to the previous set, the size of the 1 yuan coin has been reduced, the 5 jiao has changed from yellow to silvery-white, and it is made of steel nickel plating process and does not contain copper.