Chinese Panda Silver Bullion Coin
Issued by the People's Republic of
China, the Chinese Pandas have been
one of the most collected silver bullion
coins. It changes its design every year
and comes in different sizes, from 0.5
troy oz to 1 kilogram with different
denomination reflecting the weight.
China issued its first silver coins
picturing an adorable Panda design in
1983. These were 38.6 mm., 27 gm. of
900 fine silver, Proof quality. These
same specifications were used in 1984
and 1985. No silver Panda coins were
issued in 1986. The 1987 silver Pandas
were 40 mm., 1 troy oz. of 925 fine
silver, Proof quality. No silver Panda
coins were issued in 1988. From 1989-1997
silver Pandas were issued in both Proof
and Brilliant Uncirculated with the
specifications: 40 mm., 1 troy oz. of
999 fine silver. Beginning in 1998,
only Brilliant Uncirculated silver Pandas
were issued. There are several mints
that produce these coins, including
but not limited to: Shenzhen, Shanghai
and Shenyang. Sometimes the different
mints can be distinguished from the
size of the year on the obverse side
of the coins.
Obverse: Depiction of the Temple of
Heaven in the center with Chinese characters
on top saying "Zhonghua Renmin
Gongheguo" meaning People's Republic
of China and the bottom the year of
issue. Reverse: Different portraits
of panda that changes every year (except
for 2001 and 2002, which used the same
design).
There are varieties on the types of
coins issued, the most common being
uncirculated and proof versions. On
some years of issue, the bank also issue
commemorative coins with privy marks
or different combination of gold plating
on either the obverse or reverse of
the coin. There are no set rules on
how many commemoratives can be issued
in a year. The official distributor
is China Gold Coin Corporation.
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