A Brief History of the China Panda Series
The first Gold Panda issued by the People’s Republic of China was released in 1982 and was struck from .999 fine gold. Initially the coin was issued as a 1 oz., ½ oz.,1/4 oz., and 1/10 oz. coin, however both larger and smaller denominations have been released over the course of the series. The first Silver Panda followed the very next year in 1983 and boasted a proof finish. The silver bullion uncirculated variety would become a mainstay of the Mint in 1989 and has remained as such ever since.
The Panda design featured on the reverse of the coin changes every year, except for a few exceptions, allowing multiple variations of the unique mammal to be featured in collections around the world. The obverse has traditionally featured a portrait of the Temple of Heaven.
The biggest change to the series occurred in 2016 when the series transitioned from imperial units (troy ounces) to metric units (grams).