Silver Coins | The Chinese Panda

In the year 1983 China minted a silver coin for the first time, and the motive on this coin showed a panda bear.
Till 1985 the fineness of this beautiful silver coinage amounted to 900/1000.
With the beginning of the year 1987 one continued to exclusively mint coins with a standard of 999/1000.
From that time on the range of products was extended by the ½ oz, 5oz, 12 oz, and 1 kg coins, besides the conventional 1 oz coin.
However, these new coins have often been minted in comparatively smaller editions.

The motive on the front side always remained the same. It depicts the temple of heaven in Beijing.
Furthermore, the words “Pinyin Zhōngguó Rénmín Yínháng” are printed above the temple, which signify “People’s bank of China”.
The year of issue is always written on  the floor of the coin.
Modifications only happen when it comes to the design of the external margin.
Such changes are made for silver coins as well as for gold coins every couple of years.
The backside of the coins depict different portrays of pandas, which are designed differently from one year to another, except for the years 2001 and 2002, which carry the same picture.

The official manufacturer is the China Mint. The present-day issuing office is the China Gold Coin Corporation. The silver coin “Panda” belongs to the classical investment coins, comparable to the American Silver Eagle, even though this Chinese silver coin can often be purchased only as a single copy.

Also read about other coins: American Silver Eagle , Canadian Maple Leaf , Australian Kookaburra