Gold Chinese Pandas

Gold Chinese Pandas

The official mint of the People’s Republic of China, known as the Central Mint, produces all coins in China and is also the producer of many other national coins for countries who do not have their own mints. Unarguably, the most well-known product of the Central Mint is the Chinese Gold Panda coin series. First introduced in 1982, this gold bullion coin series was touted as one of the best in the world, and, although it was at first difficult to obtain, every investor had to get their hands on these coins.

The Central Mint of China was first established in Shanghai in 1920 but did not begin producing circulated Chinese coins until 1933. China was dealing with a lot of geopolitical tension throughout the first years of the mint’s existence, so much of the early history is fragmented. In 1937, China’s second major war with Japan began and saw the Central Mint relocate to facilities in Wuchang, Chengdu, Guilin, Lanzhou, and Kunming, but these were all closed by the time the war finally came to an end. Since then, the Central Mint has moved a few more times but is now based in Guishan and has been there since the mid-1970s.

For Westerners and those generally familiar with gold coins, the Central Mint of China is best known for the Gold Chinese Panda coin series. Though the mint itself handles much more than the production of one series of coins, most investors have eyes for the Gold Pandas and the Gold Pandas alone. Investors have long since fallen in love with these coins because of their high purity and detailed design. Investors also love the fact that these coins come from a country as foreign and unfamiliar as China.

Obverse Designs

One major differentiating point for the Silver Panda and Gold Panda is in which side is considered obverse and reverse from a design standpoint. With the Silver Panda coins, the obverse is considered the side with the Giant Panda designs. The opposite is the case for the Gold Chinese Panda. On the obverse of Gold Pandas, you’ll find the image of the Hall of Prayer for Abundant Harvests. This is the largest building in the Temple of Heaven Complex and has featured on the obverse of Gold Pandas since their 1982 introduction.

Reverse Designs

Now, for the reverse side of Gold Chinese Panda Coins, there is a new image of the Giant Panda species. Easily recognizable as a symbol of China, the Giant Panda is a distinctive species of bear found in the central-highlands of China natively. The bears are known for their patches of black-and-white fur, especially the white fur on their heads with black patches around the eyes. The Chinese Mint has used a new design of the Giant Panda on the reverse of Gold Panda coins in every year since 1982 with one exception. The 2002 coin reused the 2001 design, a move that investors and collectors did not appreciate and one that was rectified in 2003 with a new design.

Gold Pandas 1982-2015

Gold Panda coins from the Chinese Mint debuted in 1982 with four options available: 1 oz gold, 1/2 oz, 1/4 oz, and 1/10 oz. In 1983, a fifth option was released in the form of a 1/20 oz coin. From 1982 to 2015, the weight of each of the five coins remained the same, however, there was a change in the face values in 2001. The coins were originally assigned face values of 100 Yuan, 50 Yuan, 25 Yuan, 10 Yuan, and 5 Yuan, respectively. In 2001, those face values were changed to:

• 1 oz – 500 Yuan
• 1/2 oz – 200 Yuan
• 1/4 oz – 100 Yuan
• 1/10 oz – 50 Yuan
• 1/20 oz – 20 Yuan

Gold Pandas 2016-Present

In 2016, the Chinese Mint made a monumental adjustment to its Gold Panda coins that has not been seen in other major bullion coins. The Gold Panda became the first major gold bullion coin to switch away from Troy ounces as the official unit of weight to Grams, a move the Chinese Mint said would bring the coins in line with the nation’s use of the Metric system. While the change did not impact the number of coins offered or the face values, it did change the total weight and diameter of the coins. The changes included:

• 1 Troy oz coin went from 31.103 Grams and 32.05 mm diameter to 30 Grams even, with a nominal gold weight of .9645 Troy ounces and a smaller diameter of 32 mm.
• 1/2 oz coin went from 15.5515 Grams to an even 15 Grams, with a nominal gold weight of .4823 Troy ounces and maintained its 27 mm diameter.
• 1/4 oz coin went from 7.7758 Grams and a 21.95 mm diameter to 8 Grams, with a nominal gold weight of .2572 Troy ounces and a larger 22 mm diameter.
• 1/10 oz coin went from 3.1103 Grams and 17.95 mm diameter to a smaller 3 Gram weight, with a nominal gold weight of .0965 Troy ounces and a larger diameter of 18 mm.
• 1/20 oz coin went from 1.5552 Grams and a 13.92 mm diameter to a smaller 1 Gram weight, with a nominal gold weight of .0322 Troy ounces and a much smaller 10 mm diameter.

Special Editions

Certain years saw China’s Central Mint introduce 5 oz, 12 oz, and 1 kilo Gold Pandas, but these are found much less frequently than the 1 oz – 1/20 oz varieties.

Packaging and Availability

Individual Chinese Gold Pandas will be protected by there mint sealed coin capsules. Larger quantities of the coins will be packaged in their original sealed sheets to prevent any unnecessary wear and tear from showing up on the coin’s face. No matter how many coins you order, we will always safely and discreetly package them for shipping.

Because Chinese Gold Pandas have rather high demand, hundreds of thousands are minted every year. In recent years, annual mintages of the coin exceeded 150,000, meaning they are widely available and fairly easy to find. Earlier editions of the coin series have mintages well under 100,000 and will naturally be a bit more difficult to find.

Get Your Gold Chinese Panda Coins at Silver.com

Gold Chinese Panda coins are a regular item in the Silver.com catalog. We encourage you to direct your questions about this gold for sale to our customer service team at 888-989-7223. You can also reach out to us online through our live chat and email address features.