Chinese Silver Panda Coins
The Chinese Silver Panda is a series of silver bullion coins issued by the People's Republic of China. 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.
The program was started early in the 1980s but in different weight standard early on. These early coins were not 1 troy oz silver. There are several mints that produce these coins, including but not limited to: Shenzhen, Shanghai and Shenyang. Unlike coins made by US mints that carry mintmarks to distinguish their origin, Chinese mints do not employ such scheme. In certain years there are minor variations in the coin design that allow the originating mint to be determined, such as minting year size, temple. An example is 1996 where different mints produce coins with minor variation that can be distinguished from the font size of the year on the obverse side of the coins. The coin designs were made like this (as the pictures show):
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. If the issue is a commemorative issue, the theme will be marked here also.
Reverse: Different portraits of panda that changes every year (except for 2001 and 2002, which share the same design).
There are many varieties on the types of coins issued as follows:
1. Uncirculated
2. proof
3. Gold Plated / Gilded (either side or both)
4. Colored (only obverse side known)
5. Privy marked for different distribution such as 2001 D (for domestic market)
6. Privy marked for commemorative issue, which can also be gold plated
The official distributor for the panda coins is the China Gold Coin Corporation (CGCC), both for silver and gold version.
熊猫银币是82年起发行制作，每年更换一次熊猫图案，工艺铸造水平极为复杂，图案清晰，富有立体感，而且尺寸规范，原度、成色、重量绝对准确。熊猫 的造型憨态可掬，十分惹人喜爱，由于价格在银币版块属最低的，较受到广大集币者青睐。从97年起熊猫制作呈多元化的发展，如盎镶银、彩色银币等等，大大丰 富熊猫币种，使人目不暇接。半盎司熊猫银币是在93年面市，一直发行延续至今。虽然93年半盎司银币与93年一盎司重量少一半，但目前市价反而半盎司比一 盎高一点，主要问题半盎司银币的发行量比早期一盎司发行量相对减少了许多。
熊猫银币属普制币，此类币在国际上称投资币，其发行量一般不限量。早期83年至85年之间的发行量大约有3万枚左右并附证书。随着市场需求量的扩大，后期 发行量属无限量，根据市场需求，有时可跨年度制作与发行。熊猫银币基本上是上海造币厂与沈阳造币厂定点制作和生产。市场属称上海版、沈阳版两种。