China Mint

China Pandas

The China Mint is best known for its famous bullion coins, Gold and Silver Pandas . The Gold Panda series originated in 1982 with both bullion and proof coins. These coins have been produced every year since. Proof Silver Pandas followed in 1983 with half ounce bullion coins first issued in 1986, and the one-ounce bullion series started two years later.

The release of each new issue is highly anticipated among collectors throughout the world because the designs change every year. Only once in the series has a reverse design been repeated. Each new issue provides a unique look at the large and lovable creature that has come to become closely associated with one of the world’s oldest civilizations. The obverse design always features one of the issuing nation’s most famous landmarks, the Hall of Prayer for Abundant Harvests in Beijing’s Temple of Heaven.

In 2016, these two bullion series made history with a change from imperial units to metric ones. For their first four years – and possibly more – they have been the only bullion coins to be issued in metric units, giving them an extra element of uniqueness and appeal for collectors. Even after this transition, some of the mint’s other coins have remained in imperial units

Lunar Coins

Other popular coins from the mint include their lunar coins . While several countries throughout the world offer lunar series, the China Mint issues present their own unique designs, which feature varying combinations of realistic and artistic interpretations of various lunar animals celebrating the Chinese New Year. The mint also has the distinction of offering wide variety within its lunar issues. In addition to 30 g round proofs, it also offers colorized, fan-shaped, flower-shaped, and rectangular proofs. The colorized coins feature vibrant, artistic designs, while the others offer a realistic rendering of the creature celebrated in the particular year in the foreground against a backdrop of an artistic version.

Show Pandas

In terms of low mintage collectibles, the mint’s Show Pandas have become favorites of the most ardent hobbyists. These are coins that are specially issued for the world’s most important numismatic events. They have been minted for the American Numismatic Association’s (ANA’s) World’s Fair of Money, the Berlin World Fair of Money, the 2015 World Money Show, and other similar events. One of the recent show Pandas was issued for the 2018 Philadelphia ANA World’s Fair of Money. The obverse features Independence Hall and the Liberty Bell, while the reverse bears a Panda and the ANA logo. The ANA logo is gilt, making it stand out.

Moon Festival Pandas

The marquis issues of the past few years have been the Moon Festival Pandas. Invariably, these are coins that stand out in any collection. In 2015, the mint issued an MCM exclusive, the 1 kilo Silver Moon Panda. The coin features yet another exquisite panda design. The moon that is set high in the sky is 1/10th oz. of .9999 fine space gold. That gold was sent to the International Space Station on the Space Shuttle Challenger in the mid-1980s. After undergoing tests to see how it would hold up against extreme temperatures, meteorites, and space particles, it returned to earth on the Space Shuttle Columbia in 1990. The 2018 Moon Festival Panda followed the example of using a different material for the moon with the introduction of white jade.

The 2017-Z Moon Panda issue of the coin struck new ground of its own. For the first time, the China Mint introduced a holographic effect into the series. A large panda’s head is lowered into the water, where he has just taken a drink. The holographic effect makes the water shimmer in the moonlight. While some collectors were unsure of whether the effect would work on a coin, those who have picked one up have been mesmerized by its beauty.