China Coin History
China has an ancient, well-documented history, and numismatics is no exception. Evidence of the world’s oldest mint has been discovered in China's Henan Province, dating back to sometime between 800 and 450 BC.
As the main form of currency in ancient China, Chinese coins were made of copper, iron, lead, gold, and silver that varied in shape, weight, and design. Metal coins arose around 770 BC - 476 BC, and it wasn’t until 118 BC that the emperor of the time cast a new coin called the Wuzhu coin (“Wu” meaning 5 and “Zhu” a weight unit, thus the coin weighed “5 Zhu”). This Chinese Coin became the standard for all of the country’s future coins: a piece of round metal, symbolizing the sky, and a square hole in the center to represent the earth, making the Chinese Coin with the square hole the emblematic coin it is today.
Modern Chinese minting was established as the Shanghai Mint opened in 1920; the China Mint operates as several branch Mints under the supervision of the People’s Bank of China as the national mint for the country today. China has a long history of wars, relocations, divisions, and hardship, and yet, the China Mint still manages to strike quality bullion and proof, making Chinese gold and silver coins among some of the most sought-after coins for numismatics and collectors worldwide.
Chinese Panda Series Coins
One of the crowning jewels of the China Mint is their Chinese Panda series. Struck in both gold and silver, the standard size for the Panda Series is today a 30 gram coin, although other gold varieties were later added to the lineup. The Gold Panda was first minted in 1982 with the Silver Panda following in 1983. In 2016, the China Mint transitioned the Panda Series over to the metric system, so rather than being labeled as 1-oz coins, they are now referred to as 30-gram coins.
Panda Series Design
An image of the Temple of Heaven always appears on the obverse of the series; however the reverse always features a new perspective on the native Chinese bear and includes a new Panda-inspired design every year.
Why Collect Chinese Coins from the Panda Series?
A 2017 China Silver Panda is going to be different from a 2018 Silver panda and so on. As such, collecting this highly regarded series, results in a collection containing a myriad of art pieces that date back over 35 years, all immortalized in fine precious metals. It’s truly incredible how these coins can capture the tiniest detail, like the fur of these majestic national monuments.
The Chinese Silver Panda coin is an annual bullion release that tends to see high demand and collector anticipation every year. The series is seen by collectors as on par with other silver world bullion series, such as the Australian Silver Kangaroo and the American Silver Eagle. Each I oz. or 30-gram Chinese Silver Panda, depending upon its release date, is struck in 99.9% pure silver and holds a 10 Yuan legal tender.
The Gold Panda shares the same design as its silver counterpart, however while the 30 gram Silver Panda holds a 10-yuan legal tender, a 30 gram Gold Panda holds a 500-yuan legal tender. Gold Pandas are also available in a variety of sizes ranging from 30 grams to 1 gram. The overall mintage of the gold variant is often significantly lower than that of the silver coin. The low mintage mixed with precision striking of intricate designs ensure that Chinese Panda coins, be they struck from gold or silver, are anticipated, year after year.
