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Why Invest In Chinese Panda Coins? Minted since 1982, the Panda coin series is one of the most beautiful and interesting legal tender gold and silver coins ever issued. Furthermore, the Panda series has many of the key elements that attract collectors and investors over time:
- Legal Tender Coins
- Relative Scarcity of many issues
- Attractive design
- Interesting Varieties
- High precious metal content
- A large and growing population of collectors
Legal Tender
The Panda coins are legal tender coins of the People's Republic of China. With the exception of the first year of issue (1982), all have Chinese currency denomination 元（Yuan）。
Scarcity
For decades until the late 1990s, the Chinese government minted the Panda coins and sold them primarily to foreigners. Chinese citizens either were not permitted to own, and certainly could not afford these coins. As a result, the Pandas were scattered around the world.
Initially the coins were regarded as bullion, and were not preserved as one would preserve a collectible coin. The coins were poorly packaged, mishandled (both at the mint and in the market), and used for Jewelry. As a result, early issues tend to be scarce in good grades (MS68 and MS69),
As the coins became popular, special low-mintage varieties were produced. These included proofs, anniversary editions, platinum, palladium, and bimetallic coins.
Changes in the market interest for gold coins also had a big impact. In the 1990's gold declined in US$ value and demand for Pandas declined. Fewer coins were minted and many were melted as scrap.
Attractive Design
The Panda series is special because every year has a different Panda design on the obverse, yet still constitute a very collectible series. The design styles vary widely and many are quite intricate and beautiful, The coins make the most of the stunning brilliance and luster of gold and silver.
Varieties
Pandas have been issued as BU coins from two different mints (with different date styles), and proof coins were produced in certain years. The date styles have been recognized only recently, other varietal attributesmay yet be identified.
Precious Metals
The US has been exporting its inflation to China for 15 years. Although this made for a robust US economy in the 1990s, the inevitable price increases that result from inflation are surfacing in the China and around the world. Chinese inflation is higher than in the US, and people will need a way to protect their wealth. Interest in gold and silver is sure to grow.
Gold Pandas are .999 pure gold and have been made in weights 1/20oz, 1/10oz, 1/4oz, 1/2oz, 1oz, 5oz, 12oz and 1kg
Silver is .999 fine silver and were issued in 1oz, 2oz, and 5oz
Platinum, Palladium and bimetal silver/gold coins were also made some years.
The precious metal content provides a solid floor for the value of these coins - they are always good as gold and silver.
The Growing Collector Population
In the US and other mature coin collecting markets, the scarce and desirable coins have been largely found, identified, graded, slabbed and priced in catalogs. Prices for scarce quality coins are generally high, and there is already a well established community of collectors and dealer. China, however, is new territory.
Although China has a long history of valuing precious metals as money, 70 years of communism has left a vast blank slate of 1.2 billion people who have never had the means or the access to gold and silver. The Panda coins are just now being rediscovered in China as a generation of collectors come on the scene.
Today China's wealth is growing. Billions of inflated dollars and euros flow in daily to buy manufactured goods. People in China now have the wealth and the means to buy gold and silver coin.
Compared to the US, the pool of available coins for collectors is much less in China and the prices are lower. Yet the emerging Chinese middle class of 300 million people is as large as the entire US! As the Chinese people discover the rare and beautiful Panda coins of their own country, these rare coins will become much more scarce and valuable.
The Panda coins may very well become the Morgan dollars and Double Eagles of China. Prices for top quality Panda coins are still very low in comparison. Now is your chance to get in early!