2013 Panda Coins to Be Released on November 20th, 2012

The 2013 gold and silver panda commemorative coins are to be released by People’s Republic of China on November 20^th, 2012, which include 10 coins, 7 gold and 3 silver.

Patterns 

 

The front side pattern is the Qinian Palace of the Temple of Heaven, Beijing, the country name, and the year; the reverse pattern is the pandas drinking water, face value, weight, and fineness.

Specification and mintage 

 

(1)   The 1/20 oz round gold commemorative coins are bullion coins, containing 1/20 oz pure gold, with diameter of 14mm, face value of RMB20 Yuan, fineness of 99.9%, and max. mintage of 800000.

(2) The 1/10 oz round gold commemorative coins are bullion coins, containing 1/10 oz pure gold, with diameter of 18mm, face value of RMB50 Yuan, fineness of 99.9%, max mintage of 800000.

(3) The 1/4 oz round gold commemorative coins are bullion coins, containing 1/4 oz pure gold, with diameter of 22 mm, face value of RMB100 Yuan, fineness of 99.9%, max. mintage of 600000　

(4) The 1/2 oz round gold commemorative coins are bullion coins, containing 1/2 oz pure gold, with diameter of 27mm, face value of RMB200 Yuan, fineness of 99.9%, max. mintage of 600000.　

(5) The 1 oz round gold commemorative coins are bullion coins, containing 1 oz pure gold, with diameter of 32 mm, face value of RMB500 Yuan, fineness of 99.9%, max. mintage of 600000.

(6) The 5 oz round gold commemorative coins are bullion coins, containing 5 oz pure gold, with diameter of 60 mm, face value of RMB2000 Yuan, fineness of 99.9%, max. mintage of 5000.

(7) The 1 kg round commemorative coins are bullion coins, containing 1 kg pure gold, with diameter of 90mm, face value of RMB10000 Yuan, fineness of 99.9%, max. mintage of 500.

 (8) The 1 oz round commemorative coins are bullion coins, containing 1 oz pure silver, with diameter of 40mm, face value of RMB10 Yuan, fineness of 99.9%, max. mintage of 8000000.

 (9) The 5 oz round silver commemorative coins are proof coins, containing 5 oz pure silver, with diameter of 70mm, face value of RMB50 Yuan, fineness of 99.9%, max. mintage of 50000. 　

 (10) The 1 kg round silver commemorative coins are proof coins, containing 1 kg pure silver, with diameter of 100mm, face value of RMB300 Yuan, fineness of 99.9%, max. mintage of 20000. 

The gold and silver commemorative coins referred above are minted by Shenzhen Guobao Mint, Shenyang Mint, and Shanghai Mint.

Where to Next for China's Gold Market?

The annual conference of the London Bullion Market Association - the "premier professional forum for the world's bullion market" as Haywood Cheung of the 100-year old Chinese Gold & Silver Exchange put it this morning - is taking place right now in Hong Kong.

The timing could hardly seem more urgent. Hong Kong has always had great importance to the global precious metals market - particularly since the 1970s, as several speakers noted on Monday, day one of the LBMA's two-day 2012 conference. But while Hong Kong's dominance as Asia's bullion hub may yet be challenged (it beat off "stiff competition" to be this year's Asian LBMA venue, Cheung writes in the South China Morning Post; Singapore removed general sales tax from gold last month, and now its gleaming new freeport vaults are already booked out, with a second facility being discussed), it's Hong Kong which remains "the gateway to China".

And China remains the big prize for the record 700+ delegates from 279 different miners, refiners, banks, dealers and secure logistics providers gathered here from 39 countries.



"China's appetite for gold has increased rapidly," explained Albert Cheng, managing director for the Far East at market-development organization the World Gold Council after lunch today, "with gold demand growing by an average 24% per annum since 2007.

"China's share of global gold demand doubled from 10% in 2007 to 21% in 2011." And as Cheng's chart shows above, China in fact overtook world #1 consumer India in the first half of 2012.

None of this happened by accident. Not according to keynote speaker Xie Duo - general director of the People's Bank of China. Listing China's #1 position in both gold mining production and now consumer demand, "Gold plays a very important role in the formation of the financial market system," he explained - repeating what PBoC governor  Zhou Xiaochuan told the LBMA's 2004 conference in Shanghai, and then reminding the grand ballroom of the plan which Zhou then set out:

#1. Transform gold from a commodity to a financial investment market: The Shanghai Gold Exchange now boasts 33 financial members, and 3 million individual clients. Meantime, more than 30 commercial banks are active end-to-end in gold, offering both physical and paper gold, and acting as "an important channel for Chinese citizens to be involved."

#2. Transform it from an immediate-delivery to derivative market
Deferred settlement was launched on the Shanghai Gold Exchange in 2004, in a bid to allow greater trading volumes without being hit by shortages. From 2008 to 2010, it accounted for over 60% of the SGE's volume, rising to 73% in 2011. Compared to other "spot" contracts worldwide, said Xie, it's now the most heavily traded, with turnover of 6,000 tonnes last year.

#3. Transform China's trading from a domestic to an international market
Twenty-four hour trading is crucial today, the PBoC general director said. So in 2005 the SGE launched its night-time session, to overlap with the afternoon in London's physical market and morning trade in New York's Comex gold futures. Now that period - from 21:00 to 02:30 - accounts for a third of total SGE volume. It's particularly welcome for those foreign banks which have become members of the exchange, starting with HSBC in 2008.

All this adds up to "big progress in the Chinese gold market," Xie said. "But there is still a long way to go." And which way is that? Remember, we are in China.

"Frankly speaking, this success is the result of free choice by the market and the support of policy," Xie went on. "The government took effective measures to guarantee smooth development."

In particular, late last year it banned the "illegal" gold market, closing down all trading centers outside the officially recognized and managed Shanghai Gold Exchange and the Shanghai Futures Exchange (SHFE). The concern was that "the gold price rise had led to a surge in domestic demand, and that led to margin-trading businesses using overseas derivatives contracts as the underlying asset. That was very risky because of the leverage. So the government is fighting the underground market."
Laying out his own "proposal" for how China's gold market should develop from here, Xie made this concern - the level of risk worn by China's citizen traders - the basis for 3 steps in his 5-step plan. In fact, together with the parallel aim of "guid[ing] investors to trade on the legitimate platforms", keeping a tight rein on free-market provision of gold products pretty much sums it up:

#1. Ensure development of mature market
#2. Perfect the laws, rules and relative policies
#3. Perfect the mechanism of risk aversion and investor protection
#4. Strengthen the market system & accelerate innovation
#5. Promote further opening to the outside world

That last point is for "later on", Xie added, with China's gold market only "fully opened" to foreign players once the other planks are assured. No, this doesn't yet cut both ways; the giant ICBC bank gained approval to buy a major investment bank's operations in Argentina. Yes, the Communist Party may have long considered it "glorious to get rich", but its brand of capitalism remains very alien to the developed West's idea of financial fun.

Seeing the trouble that has caused, however, you might forgive China's leaders for wanting to marry strict regulation with a boom in financial services. Gold investors everywhere might want to thank the bureaucrats' strong hand, too.

"Is China's gold investment demand sustainable?" asked Albert Cheng of the China/Asia panel this afternoon. Yes, replied Zheng Zhiguang, general manager of precious metals at ICBC. Because over the next 10 years, there will be "very stable, progressive economic development. So household incomes will continue to grow. It's in the government's plan."

Put another way, and again looking at the question of a "hard landing" for Chinese consumers and therefore their double-digit gold demand growth rate, "Beijing has tremendous means to achieve its growth targets," said Professor Yu Yongding, a former PBOC member and now at the Institute of World Economics and Politics, just before the conference's morning break.

Western gold owners should hope he's right.

Fake SJC Gold Bullion Returns to Market

Gold bullion copying SJC, the country’s most popular brand name, has recently re-emerged on the market, dismaying both gold traders and the bars’ authentic producer, Saigon Jewelry Co.
While forged gold bullion used to be produced only under the form of the 1/5-tael, or 0.24 ounce, bar, it is now circulated in the form of one-tael bullion, according to gold traders.

Faking SJC gold bullion will help gold smugglers regularize their contraband raw material gold, and rake in huge profits.

With SJC gold bullion chosen as the national gold brand name, Saigon Jewelry Co has called on the State Bank of Vietnam and police to probe into the case.

Many gold shops in the Mekong Delta provinces have reportedly refused to buy gold bullion, fearing that the metal has not been authentically produced by SJC.

On the fake gold bullion, the first letter of the word ‘tael’ is embedded on its surface in a slightly larger font than that of the authentic bars, according to an owner of a gold shop in Ho Chi Minh City’s District 8, who currently has an allegedly fake SJC gold bar.

“Its purity is also less than 99.99 percent, which an authentic SJC gold bar is supposed to have,” he added.

The fake bullion is made in such a sophisticated way that it is almost impossible to tell it apart from the real deal with the naked eye, gold traders said, adding that even the distinguishing differences on the fake gold bullion have all been rectified.

Gold shop owners are now more wary of customers wishing to sell SJC gold bullion than ever before, and all refuse those with old or torn packaging.

“We only earn a little profit by buying SJC gold bullion. But a fake gold bar will cost us a huge loss,” the owner of a gold shop in District 1 said.

Whopping profits

In response to the market concern, Saigon Jewelry Co said the root of the problem stems from the fact that domestic gold prices are still VND2 – 3 million higher than their global counterparts.

“With such a huge price difference, gold smugglers are willing to spend millions of US dollars investing in machinery to create fake SJC gold bars, as they will soon recoup the investment,” a company chief official who requested anonymity told Tuoi Tre.

Experts also said narrowing the price gap is the only solution to the issue.

“Successfully producing a fake SJC gold bullion will bring in a VND3 million profit to the producer, and with 1,000 bars sold, the figure is an enormous VND3 billion ($143,888),” a CEO of a gold company, who preferred to be anonymous, revealed.

2013 New Century Snake Dance China Coin / Medal

 

 The Design: Tong Youming
Diameter: 120mm, 

Material and Colour: Yellow Copper
Quantity: 800 only
Positive Figure: Snake Dance Money Maps and topic text
Back the Figure: Ganzhi Snake Fig.
Casting: Shanghai New Century

  

 

RRP $250.00

Chinese Gold: China's New Gold Rush

China may have overtaken India as the world's top consumer of gold in the first quarter of 2012, but the country is not resting on its laurels. By buying gold mines, and accumulating the produced gold before it hits the international market, China is able to purchase gold below the spot gold price.

In the first successful example of a Chinese company taking over a large-sized gold mine that is in production, Zijin Mining Group Co, China's top gold producer by output, said a subsidiary has bought more than 50% of Australia-listed Norton Gold Fields.

Jinyu International Mining, the fully owned subsidiary of Zijin Group, made a $190 million cash takeover offer in May for the Australian gold mine and then set about obtaining approval from Australian regulators.

In a statement, the company said the acquisition was in line with its international development strategies. Last month, news agencies in China announced that the company had received a notice from Australia's Foreign Investment Review Board that it had no objections to the purchase by Zijin or its subsidiaries of all issued shares of Norton Gold.

Zijing has also obtained approval for the deal from China's National Development and Reform Commission, which is one of the country's top regulatory bodies.

Zijin already holds 16.98% of Norton Gold Fields, which has mining rights covering an area of 693 square kilometers with total gold reserves of 185 tonnes. Last year, it produced 4.7 tonnes of gold.

From its open cut and underground operations at Paddington, near Kalgoorlie in Western Australia, Norton reportedly produced 152,000 ounces of gold. Recently, it added two new mining operations, the Homestead underground mine and the Navajo Chief open cut, to supply ore to its processing facility.

Zijin, which is listed in Shanghai and Hong Kong, has a market capitalisation of over $12 billion and has interests across commodities including gold, copper, zinc, lead, tungsten and iron ore. The company is likely to refine 50 metric tonnes of gold in 2012.

In 2011, Zijin bought 60% of Kazakhstan-based miner Altynken, which has access to a gold mine in Kyrgyzstan.

Not all have been success stories though. Zijin shelved a proposed $545 million offer for Australia-based Indophil Resources, following delays in approval from the Chinese government.

On its part, Zijin has moved the country a step closer to cementing its position in the world market as a top consumer. Though China and India together make up about 54% of the world's gold purchases, the latter has long been number one. The dynamics are set to change this year.

While gold demand in China is set to jump by as much as 30%, to between 900 and 1,000 metric tons in 2012 from 769.8 metric tonnes last year, India's usage may fall to 700 to 800 metric tonnes, from 933.4 metric tonnes.

In the first three months, demand in China totalled a record 255.2 tonnes as compared to 232.5 tonnes a year ago. China actually replaced India as the world's top gold consumer at the end of 2011.

In the first 2 quarters of 2012, China's gold inflows from Hong Kong also increased six times. China's gold imports from Hong Kong were 65% higher in April than March, the third consecutive monthly rise according to Commerzbank.

Data also suggests China's new rich are turning to gold to protect their wealth amidst worries over property market curbs. Though China's inflation dipped to a 30-month low in July, as reported on August 9, inflation has slowed dramatically, freeing China's central bank to do more to stimulate the economy.

Gold buying is clearly set to surge in the Asian country.

China Kirin Dated 10th Yr Kuand Hsu (1885) 1 Tael - Silver Coin Very Rare

China Kirin Dated 10th Yr Kuand Hsu (1885) 1 Tael - Extremely Rare with Full Detail & Gold Gilding

$5000 + US$

Asian Central Banks To Buy Gold

According to Michael Lombardi, lead contributor to Profit Confidential, Asian central banks have the money, but they don’t have enough gold bullion in their reserves. Lombardi believes this is set to change, which means the demand for gold bullion will continue to be very strong for years to come.

New York, NY (PRWEB) July 02, 2012 

According to Michael Lombardi, lead contributor to Profit Confidential, Asian central banks have the money, but they don’t have enough gold bullion in their reserves. Lombardi believes this is set to change, which means the demand for gold bullion will continue to be very strong for years to come.
In the article “He Who Has Money, Buys Gold,” Lombardi explains that Asian central banks have been identified as large buyers of the most recent gold bullion holdings.

“If they want to achieve the level of reserves that the West has, they are going to have to continue to increase their buying of gold bullion dramatically,” says Lombardi.

According to Lombardi, the central banks of Asia are selling European bond holdings to buy gold bullion.

“Kazakhstan’s central bank publicly disclosed that it is aiming for gold bullion to be 20% of its foreign reserves,” he says. “This means that if it only has 12% now, there are more purchases of gold bullion to come.”

The Profit Confidential lead contributor also notes that South Korea has not mentioned anything about its one-percent holding of gold bullion, but that one percent has been accumulated since May 2009.

“The South Korean central bank has recently made more purchases of gold bullion, which seems to indicate South Korea could continue adding to its foreign reserves,” says Lombardi.
Lombardi notes that while Asia has the money through its foreign reserves, the West has the gold bullion.

Empire of Silver - New China Movie about Silver and Paper Money

THERE'S scope for an intriguing film about China at the end of the 19th century from the perspective of one of the nation's leading banks.

But in the hands of first-time Taiwanese-American director Christina Yao, this sluggish, uninvolving soap opera hardly resonates with the present as it ought to.

With the Chinese economy in tumult, the pragmatic banker Master Kang (Zhang Tielin) is bent on preserving his family's financial empire.

There is no love lost between him and his heir apparent, Third Master (Aaron Kwok), given Third Master's passion for the woman (Hao Lei) who becomes Kang's second wife.

There's a great deal more to the story: the fate of Third Master's three brothers, the change to ''paper money'' in place of silver, and a random attack by digitally generated wolves. Other subplots are introduced, then dropped: it's hard to account for the fleeting presence of Jennifer Tilly as a missionary, unless this is supposed to make the film more marketable in the US. Ultimately, the clash between father and son is resolved in an unsatisfying, evasive manner that virtually erases much of what has gone before.

The film depends heavily throughout on voiceover narration by a later member of the dynasty, who seems mysteriously well-informed about events that occurred before he was born. As a result, there is rarely much suspense or narrative momentum.

Nor does Yao overcome a blandly decorative style, in which the camera rises and falls with stately regularity and most interiors are bathed in golden light.

Empire of Silver - New China Movie about Silver and Paper Money

CHINESE ASTROLOGICAL SERIES 2012 YEAR OF THE DRAGON GOLD COIN 'PROSPERITY' Perth Mint Australia Gold

• Proof Quality 1/5oz 99.99% Pure Gold
• Year of the Dragon Design
• Chinese Character for 'Prosperity'
• Issued as Legal Tender
• Presentation Case
• Numbered Certificate of Authenticity

Celebrating the Year of the Dragon, the birth dates for people ruled by this Chinese Lunar sign include 1916, 1928, 1940, 1952, 1964, 1976, 1988, 2000 and 2012. Those born under the influence of this sign are said to be confident, enterprising, independent, self-assured, brave, and passionate.

Proof Quality 99.99% Pure Gold

Celebrating the 2012 Year of the Dragon, this coin is struck by The Perth Mint from 1/5oz of 99.99% pure gold in proof quality.

Year of the Dragon Design

The reverse design depicts a dragon holding a pearl marked with the Chinese character for prosperity – Fu.

Issued as Legal Tender

Issued as legal tender under the authority of the Government of Tuvalu, the obverse of the coin bears the Ian Rank-Broadley effigy of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II and the 2012 year-date.

Limited Mintage

No more than 2,000 of these coins will be released individually.

Presentation Case

Each coin is housed in a presentation case featuring a timber lid and a stylised shipper accompanied by a numbered Certificate of Authenticity.

CHINESE ASTROLOGICAL SERIES 2012 YEAR OF THE DRAGON GOLD COIN 'PROSPERITY' Perth Mint Australia Gold

Demand leads China to increase 2012 Panda bullion mintages

Pandas have notoriously sensitive populations, but the coins depicting them are proliferating at least: amid soaring demand the People’s Bank of China has announced higher mintages for 2012 Panda bullion coins.

The 2012 mintages for the coins will in some cases double or triple compared to 2011 mintages, according to the June 20 announcement.

The decision to increase mintages was reported by state news agency Xinhua and confirmed by a spokesperson for China Gold Coin Corp., the distributor of the coins in China. PandaAmerica, the California-based distributor for the United States, also confirmed the increased mintages for 2012, the second consecutive year China has raised mintage figures for the Panda precious metal bullion coins.

The stalwarts of the program are the 1-ounce .999 fine silver 10-yuan coin and the 1-ounce .999 fine gold 100-yuan coins; the mintage for the silver 10-yuan coin will double from 3 million pieces to 6 million coins, while the mintage limit for the 1-ounce gold coin is raised from 300,000 coins to 500,000 coins.

Four different sizes of fractional gold bullion coins — the 20th-, 10th-, quarter- and half-ounce pieces — will see the largest increases, rising from mintage limits of 200,000 in 2011 to 600,000 next year, per size.

“Chinese investors have rushed to buy precious metals this year to hedge against rising inflation,” according to the Xinhua report.

In the first quarter of 2011, China became the world’s largest market for gold coins and bars for investment, according to a May 19 report from the World Gold Council, a trade group.

China currently issues 10 different Panda coins annually. The six pieces for which mintage increases have been announced are issued as bullion pieces. Four additional coins, 5-ounce and kilogram sizes of both silver and gold coins, are issued in Proof versions and were not discussed in the recent announcement; their mintages will not be revealed until later this year.

That doesn’t mean they will immune to increases; mintages for eight of the 10 Panda coins (bullion and Proof combined) rose from 2010 to 2011, in some cases dramatically.

The mintages for small Panda gold coins, those of half-, quarter-, tenth-, and 20th-ounce sizes, were raised from 120,000 each in 2010 to 200,000 each with the 2011 coins, a 67 percent increase.

Mintages for some of the large versions were also raised: the kilogram gold coin went from a mintage of 200 pieces in 2010 to a 300-coin mintage maximum this year.

The kilogram-sized silver 300-yuan coins for 2011 have a limit of 8,000 pieces, twice the 2010 mintage, and the maximum of 20,000 5-ounce 50-yuan silver coins compares to 10,000 for 2010.

But the biggest increase for 2011 was registered for the 1-ounce silver size, as the 10-yuan coin, which had a mintage maximum of 800,000 pieces in 2010, saw its maximum shoot up to 3 million pieces, a 275 percent increase in 2011.

The only mintage limits not increased in 2011 were the 1-ounce 500-yuan and 5-ounce 2,000-yuan gold coins, remaining stable at 300,000 pieces and 1,000 pieces, respectively.

The accompanying table lists full details of the rising mintage limits from 2010 through the announced limits for 2012.

The obverse of each Panda coin shows the Hall of Prayer for Good Harvests (the Temple of Heaven). The reverse design has changed every year since the Panda made its debut, except for 2002, and shows a different design of a panda or pandas.

China’s Panda coins are minted at the Shenzhen Guobao Mint, Shenyang Mint and Shanghai Mint, and are generally not identified with a Mint mark.

2011 China Panda Silver Coins

We have the 2011 Silver Panda Coins from the China Mint and they are available in stock for a limited time, so order now. China Silver Pandas are some of the most popular silver coins in the world. These Silver Pandas are highly anticipated as their fresh, new design is released each year from the China Mint.

China Silver Panda coins are some of the most beautiful and collectible Silver coins in the world.

Each China Silver Panda coin is guaranteed to be in Gem Brilliant Uncirculated condition. The yearly design changes allow collectors to add variety to their collections from year to year and to accumulate one of the most beautiful series of Silver world coins.

Brand New Design for 2011
Panda Silver coins display a fresh, original design each year. The 2011 coin features a mother playing with her cub in a field of bamboo. The reverse design is the same each year, representing an image of the honored “Temple of Heaven” in Beijing, and the 2011 date.

We are always excited to see the annual design changes from the meticulous craftsmen at the China Mint. Each Panda Silver coin is beautifully crafted and feels like a miniature sculpture in your hands.

Legal Tender Silver
Chinese Panda coins are genuine legal tender coins, issued exclusively by the People’s Bank of China. Each of the pure Silver Panda Coins is minted in one troy ounce of 99.9% fine silver. At very affordable prices, these coins make great gifts and are an excellent addition to any coin collection.

Each Silver Panda comes double-sealed from the China Mint in a clear, protective package that surrounds a plastic holder. This keeps out effects of harmful air pollution and helps to preserve these beautiful coins for generations to come.

2011 China Panda Silver Coins

2010 Chinese Gold and Silver Pandas

The 2010 Chinese Gold and Silver Pandas have been issued by the People's Bank of China. This year's program consists of ten different issues, including seven gold and three silver coins with a new reverse design. The high quality bullion coins have become popular around the world.

The Gold and Silver Pandas feature a common obverse design depicting the Hall of Prayer for Good Harvests of the Temple of Heaven located in Beijing, China. An inscription in Chinese indicates "People's Republic of China" along with the year "2010".

The new reverse design for 2010-dated coins features two pandas at play. The face value of the coin, bullion weight, and purity also appear. Each year, the coins have featured a different Panda themed design. All coins have a purity of 99.9% fine gold or 99.9% fine silver.

2010 Gold Panda Coins

This year's Gold Panda coins will be available in weights ranging from 1/20 oz to 5 oz. Each weight carries a different fave value and has a stated maximum mintage. The details of each coin are below:

Weight	Diameter	Face Value	Maximum Mintage
1/20 oz	14 mm	20 Yuan	120,000
1/10 oz	18 mm	50 Yuan	120,000
1/4 oz	22 mm	100 Yuan	120,000
1/2 oz	27 mm	200 Yuan	120,000
1 oz	32 mm	500 Yuan	300,000
5 oz	60 mm	2000 Yuam	1,000
1 kg	90 mm	10000 Yuan	200

2010 Silver Panda Coins

This year's Silver Panda coins will be available in three different weights from 1 oz to 1 kg. Each coin carries a different face value and has a stated maximum mintage as included below:

Weight	Diameter	Face Value	Maximum Mintage
1 oz	40 mm	10 Yuan	800,000
5 oz	70 mm	50 Yuan	10,000
1 kg	100 mm	300 Yuan	4,000

The 2010 Gold and Silver Pandas were first issued by the People's Bank of China on November 30, 2009. The coins are minted by the Shenzhen Guobao Mint, Shenyang Mint and Shanghai Mint, and solely distributed by China Gold Coin Incorporation.

The People's Bank of China 2009 Panda Silver Brilliant Uncirculated legal tender coins.

Every year excitement and buzz builds surrounding the design of the new Panda coin, and this year has been no exception.

The beautiful designs of the 2009 Panda Silver coins have made the wait worthwhile. These coins are 99.9% pure silver - and are now available to collectors who are assembling date sets, and to silver bullion buyers who expect a continuation of the current desire for silver in the market.

The 2009 Panda coins keep the traditional obverse design that has been the hallmark of this great series, featuring the Temple of Heaven in Beijing, the title of the People's Republic of China, and the year of issuance. The reverse design features 2 baby pandas, sitting and eating in a field of bamboo. The face value of 10 Yuan & purity level of 99.9% are also prominently displayed on the bottom of the reverse.

The 1-ounce Silver Pandas from 2009 are issued with a maximum authorized mintage of 600,000. Click here to view & buy these coins for only $27!!

The People's Bank of China 2009 Panda Silver Brilliant Uncirculated legal tender coins.

2009 China Commemorative Silver and Gold Panda Coins

Each coin’s reverse bears the same Panda design as depicted on the 2009 Gold Panda and 2009 Silver Panda bullion coins. The new commemoratives, however, feature a ring surrounding the pandas with the inscription "30TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE ISSUANCE OF THE CHINESE MODERN PRECIOUS METAL COMMEMORATIVE COINS."

The obverse design of both coins has the traditional image of the Hall of Prayer for Good Harvest in the Temple of Heaven in Beijing.

The central bank said it would issue a maximum of 10,000 gold coins in 1/4 oz size, with a diameter of 22 mm and a fineness of 99.9%. Up to 300,000 of the 1 oz silver coins are to be struck with a diameter of 40 mm and the same bullion 99.9% purity. The legal tender face value of the gold and silver commemoratives are 10 and 100 yuan, respectively.

Panda coins are among the most popular in the world, featuring adorably detailed images of playful pandas that change annually. Although the Chinese precious metal coin program dates back to 1979, the Gold Panda coin design was first introduced in 1982 while the silver version debuted in 1983.