History of the Chinese Silver Panda
In the beginning of production from 1983 to 1985 the Silver Panda did not weigh 1 troy ounce and it had a fineness of only 90%. The fineness of the coin was later changed to 99.99% in 1987. The coin was not issued in 1986 or 1988. There has never been a real reason mentioned as to why the coins were not issued during those years however; many believe that it was because the Year of the Rabbit, Year of the Dragon, Olympics, and Endangered Wildlife coins were the priority.
On the obverse side of the Chinese Panda is an image of China's most recognized wildlife animal, the Panda. The coin is minted with a different Panda design every year. The People's Republic of China froze the design of the panda in 2001 so the 2001 and 2002 issue has the same obverse design. Collectors were not happy with the freeze and so they decided to protest, which put an end to the freeze and therefore the coins were once again produced each year with a new design.
On the reverse side of the Chinese Panda is an image of the Temple of Heaven. Temple is located in Beijing and was built during the Ming Dynasty in the fifteenth century. The Temple was a place of royalty and worship for the Chinese. The reverse side of the coin has for the most part held the same design over the years. The only slight change that has been made was in 1987 when the coins fineness and weight were changed the number of posts in the stone fence that surrounds the Temple were changed.
The Chinese Panda has been a great addition to the world of international numismatic coins. The coins are valuable and beautiful and highly liked by both collectors and investors.