Chinese Silver Panda

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Silver Panda
China
Value10 Yuan (face value)
Mass30 g (.965 troy oz)
Diameter40 mm (1.52 in)
Thickness<=3 mm (0.118 in)
EdgeReeded slanted left
Composition99.9% Ag
Years of minting1983-present
Obverse
DesignThe Hall of Prayer for Good Harvests located in the Temple of Heaven complex
Reverse
Design2018 version Panda
Design date2017

The Chinese Silver Panda (Chinese: 熊猫银币; pinyin: xióngmāo yínbì) is a series of silver bullion coins issued by the People's Republic of China. The design of the panda is changed every year and minted in different sizes and denominations, ranging from 0.5 troy oz. to 1 kilogram. Starting in 2016, Pandas switched to metric sizes. The 1 troy ounce coin was reduced to 30 grams, while the 5 troy ounce coin was reduced to 150 grams. There is also a Gold Panda series issued featuring the same designs as the Silver Panda coins.

History[edit]

The first Silver Panda coins—issued 10 yuan Panda bullion in 1983, 1984, and 1985—were proof quality, with a precious metal content of 27 grams of 0.900 fine silver and a diameter of 38.6 mm. Mintages were only 10,000 for each year. No Silver Pandas were issued in 1986. The 1987 Silver Panda coins were minted in proof quality from 1 troy oz. of sterling (.925 fine) silver, with a diameter of 40 mm. There are several mints that produced Silver Panda coins over the years, including: Shanghai, Shenyang, and Shenzhen. Unlike coins made by US and German mints that carry mintmarks to distinguish their origin, Chinese mints generally do not carry mintmarks. In certain years there are minor variations in the coin design—such as the size of the date, and temple that allows the originating mint to be determined. An example is 1996 where different mints produced coins with minor variations in the font size of the date on the obverse side of the coins. In 2015 the Gold and Silver Panda coins were not labeled with metal fineness and weight. This information returned in 2016 when the 1 troy ounce coin was replaced by the 30-gram coin (one troy ounce is approximately 31.1 grams).[1]

The official distributor in China for the Silver and Gold Panda coins is the China Gold Coin Incorporation (CGCI).

As of 2020, the highest-priced coin is a perfect 1983 proof panda worth $16,430. The highest-priced, non-proof coin is a perfect large-date 1991 panda worth $3,100.[2]

Specifications[edit]

Specifications[3]
Weight Face value Diameter Thickness
1 kilogram 300 yuan 100 mm 13 mm
12 troy oz 100 yuan 14 mm
5 troy oz 50 yuan 70 mm 6 mm
150 grams 50 yuan 70 mm
1 troy ounce 10 yuan 40 mm
30 grams 10 yuan 40 mm
12 troy oz 5 yuan 33 mm 2.2 mm
14 troy oz 3 yuan 25 mm

Thickness[edit]

Taking the 1-ounce silver coin as an example, the authentic coin has a thickness of only about 2.6 millimeters, while the thickness of the counterfeit coin exceeds 3 millimeters. If they are of the same thickness, the counterfeit coin will not weigh 31.1 grams.[4]

Reeding[edit]

The diagonal reeding was first introduced in the 2001 D (Domestic) Gold Panda Coins. This feature was introduced to other Chinese Panda Coins in 2002.[5]


Design[edit]

The center of the obverse is a depiction of The Hall of Prayer for Good Harvests located in the Temple of Heaven complex in Beijing. The Hall was built between 1406 and 1420. Chinese characters on top say "中华人民共和国", meaning the People's Republic of China and the bottom the year of issue. If the issue is a commemorative issue, the theme will be marked here also. The reverse shows portraits of the giant panda that changes every year (except for 2001 and 2002, which share the same design).

Minting history[edit]

The Hall of Prayer for Good Harvests
A 1998 silver panda with an example of a gilded privy mark for the China Aviation Expo.

There are many varieties of types of coins issued:

  1. Bulk Uncirculated
  2. Proof
  3. Gilding (either side or both)
  4. Colored (only obverse side known)
  5. Privy marked for a commemorative issue
  6. Extra wording of a special event. For example, where the coins will be sold, such as a coin show or to commemorate an event or place.
Year Type Description[2][6] Mintage[2]
1983 Proof Both proof and frosted proof 10,000
1984 Proof 10,000
1985 Proof 10,000
1986 Proof 0
1987 Proof 30,000
1988 0
1989 Proof 8,000
Bulk 255,000
1990 Proof 20,000
Bulk Both large and small dates 200,000
1991 Proof 20,000
Bulk Both large and small dates 100,000
1992 Proof 20,000
Bulk Both large and small dates 100,000
1993 Proof 20,000
Bulk Both large and small dates 120,000
1994 Proof 20,000
Bulk Both large and small dates 120,000
1995 Proof 10,000
Bulk Both large and small dates 200,000
1996 Proof Both narrow and wide bottom 16,000
Bulk Large, small and micro dates 120,000
Beijing Stamp and Coin Expo 25,000
1997 Proof Colorized 100,000
Bulk 50,000
Large and small dates 50,000
Year of Tourism 50,000
Chongqing Municipality 50,000
Beijing Stamp and Coin Expo 30,000
1998 Proof Colorized 100,000
Bulk Large, small and micro dates 250,000
China Aviation Expo 50,000
Beijing Coin Expo 30,000
1999 Proof Colorized 100,000
Bulk 70,000
Beijing Stamp and Coin Expo 40,000
2000 Bulk Both frosted and mirrored finishes 70,000
Guangzhou Stamp and Coin Expo 40,000
2001 Bulk 250,000
Large and small "D". Domestic only sales 250,000
2002 Bulk 500,000
2003 Bulk Both frosted and satin finishes 600,000
2004 Bulk 600,000
50th Anniversary of China Construction Bank 170,000
20th Anniversary of Industrial and Commercial Bank of China 120,000
Beijing Stamp and Coin Expo 30,000
2005 Bulk 600,000
Foundation of Industrial and Commercial Bank of China 100,000
10th Anniversary Bank of Shanghai 50,000
Beijing Stamp and Coin Expo 30,000
2006 Bulk 600,000
10th Anniversary China Minsheng Bank 70,000
10th Anniversary Bank of Beijing 50,000
Shenyang Horticulture Expo 30,000
10th Anniversary Jinan City Bank 20,000
Beijing Stamp and Coin Expo 30,000
2007 Bulk 600,000
Xi'an City Bank 100,000
20th Anniversary of China CITIC Bank 100,000
2008 Bulk 600,000
100th Anniversary of Beijing Banknote 100,000
100th Anniversary of Bank of Communications 100,000
2009 Bulk 600,000
30th Anniversary of Chinese modern precious metal coins 300,000
Founding of Agricultural Bank of China 100,000
ChiNext Inauguration 30,000
2010 Bulk 800,000
Anniversary of listing of Agricultural Bank of China 70,000
20th Anniversary of opening China's capital markets 40,000
90th Anniversary Shanghai Mint 20,000
2011 Bulk 6,000,000
Running of Beijing-Shanghai High Speed Railway 30,000
60th Anniv. of National Committee of China's Financial Union 30,000
10th Anniversary of Shanghai Gold Exchange 30,000
30th Anniv. of the Founding of Xiamen Special Economic Zone 20,000
60th Anniversary of the Rural Credit Cooperatives 20,000
60th Anniversary of the Aviation Industry 20,000
World Horticultural Expo 2011 in Xian 20,000
2012 Bulk 8,000,000
100th Anniversary of Bank of China 260,000
20th Anniversary of the founding of Huaxia Bank 50,000
10th Anniversary of Listing of China Merchants Bank 30,000
2013 Bulk 8,000,000
25th Anniversary of Shanghai Pudong Development Bank 80,000
30th Anniversary of China Everbright Bank 80,000
10th Anniversary of China-Asean Expo 80,000
2014 Bulk 8,000,000
60th Anniversary of China Construction Bank 420,000
20th Anniv. of the Agricultural Development Bank of China 85,000
Qingdao World Horticulture Expo 40,000
Singapur International Coin Fair 2,014
2015 Bulk 8,000,000
20th Anniversary of Bank of Shanghai 60,000
The Year of China in South Africa 10,000
2016 Bulk 8,000,000
20th Anniversary of Bank of Beijing 50,000
120th Anniversary of Shenyang Mint 30,000
60th Anniversary of All-China Federation of Returned Overseas Chinese 20,000
2017 Bulk 10,000,000
China International Collection Expo 50,000
2018 Bulk 10,000,000
30th Anniversary of China Ping An Insurance Group 50,000
30th Anniversary of Industrial Bank 30,000
2019 Bulk 10,000,000
China International Import Expo 20,000
World Stamp Exhibition 20,000
40th Anniversary of State Administration of Foreign Exchange 10,000

See also[edit]

References[edit]

General
  • 2020 Standard Catalog of World Coins - 1901–2000, 47th Edition, publication date 2019, Krause Publications, ISBN 978-1-4402-4896-2
  • 2020 Standard Catalog of World Coins - 2001–Date, 14th Edition, publication date 2019, Krause Publications, ISBN 978-1-4402-4897-9
Specific
  1. ^ "37-year History in Two-half Pages". Coin Week. 19 February 2019. Retrieved 17 February 2020.
  2. ^ a b c "10 Yuan Price Guide". PCGS. Retrieved 18 February 2020.
  3. ^ "Chinese Silver Panda Coin Prices". ngccoin.com. Retrieved 30 June 2019.
  4. ^ "熊猫币如何鉴别真伪 熊猫币的鉴定方法要点有哪些". Sohu. Retrieved 2019-04-16.
  5. ^ Anthony, Peter (January 1, 2016). Gold & Silver Panda Coin Buyer's Guide (5th ed.). Peter Anthony. p. 138.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: date and year (link)
  6. ^ "China silver panda - Special editions". Buillionweb.de. Retrieved 18 February 2020.

External links[edit]

  • Website of the China Gold Coin Corporation, the official distributor of the Chinese panda coins in China.