The History and Designs of Chinese Silver Pandas
The Chinese Panda coin series is one of very few in the world that changes designs every year, making it a popular collection and investment coin.
Several factors contribute to the Silver Panda’s collectibility and premium, including:
- Yearly changing designs, which presents immediate collectible appeal.
- Limited mintage for each issue.
- Multiple mints are sometimes responsible for the one-coin issue, resulting in coin variations.
When choosing coins for beauty, rarity and profit, it doesn’t get much better than the Silver Panda.
The Many Silver Panda Designs
All Silver Panda coins are guaranteed by the People’s Bank of China and contain .999 fine Silver. With the exception of 2001 and 2002, all coins are unique in design. In 2016, Gold and Silver Pandas started to be produced in metric system sizes to better suit the international appeal of the coins. These gram sizes replaced the troy ounce sizes of previous dates. While not an exact conversion, the new gram sizes provide the closest metric equivalent to the similarly sized ounce counterparts:
- 1 oz replaced by 30 grams
- 1/2 oz replaced by 15 grams
- 1/4 oz replaced by 8 grams
- 1/10 oz replaced by 3 grams
- 1/20 oz replaced by 1 gram
1989
First coin of the Silver Panda bullion program. Features a unique abstract grid pattern and a panda eating bamboo. Mintage of 255,000.
1990
Displays curious panda atop a rock with large date. Mintage of 69,000 (large date).
1991
Panda munching by the water. Mintage of 100,000 (large date).
1992
Panda climbing a tree. Reverse depiction of temple changes this year. Mintage of 100,000 (large date).
1993
Large date coin minted at the Shanghai Mint. Mintage of 13,000 (large date).
1994
Panda grazing comfortably. Mintage of 60,000 (large date).
1995
Panda lounging in a tree. Mintage of 168,000.
1996
Panda and cub with bamboo. Mintage of 22,100 (small date).
1997
Panda in the trees. Sealed in original plastic. Mintage of 50,000 (small date).
1998
Grazing and gazing panda. Mintage of 100,000 (small date).
1999
Panda perched on a rocky outcrop. Reverse depiction of temple changes this year. Mintage of 32,450 (small date).
2000
Playful panda on a textured coin. Reverse depiction of temple changes. Mintage of 40,000 (frosted).
2001
Panda moving through the branches. Reverse depiction of temple changes again. Mintage of 500,000.
2002
Featured the same design as 2001. Mintage of 500,000.
2003
New design featured after consumer protest. Panda in bamboo field. Mintage of 600,000.
2004
Two kissing pandas. Minted by Shanghai Mint. Mintage of 600,000.
2005
Panda and cub eating together. Mintage of 600,000.
2006
Pandas playing against wall of bamboo. Mintage of 600,000.
2007
Panda and cub beneath bamboo. Minted by Shanghai Mint. Mintage of 600,000.
2008
Panda and cub playing. Mintage of 600,000.
2009
Two seated pandas eating bamboo. Mintage of 600,000.
2010
Pandas resting together. Mintage of 1,500,000.
2011
Tender moment between panda and cub. Mintage of 600,000.
2012
Mother panda cares for cub. Mintage of 800,000.
2013
Three pandas drink from a stream. Mintage of 800,000.
2014
Panda plays on a tree branch. Mintage of 8,000,000.
2015
Playful panda munches on bamboo. Weight and purity not listed on this issue. Mintage of 8,000,000.
2016
The first Panda design?! ARE YOU SERIOUS????? TELL ME MORE.
2017
Seated panda holding a bamboo twig. Mintage of 10,000,000.
2018
Large, close-up portrait of a Giant Panda eating a bamboo shoot.
2019
Scene of a mother panda holding her baby cub.
Expand your collection today and shop Chinese Silver Pandas.
