My silver Panda collection!

[arphethean]

About a year ago I first started taking an interest in 1oz China silver pandas after someone on the forum listed a short date run of recent years which I snapped up.

Once I'd decided to start collecting a date run I quickly amassed a few more years, and it was about that point when I discovered that some years are particularly hard to find, and also when I discovered that there are different varieties of each coin. But it was too late for that - I was hooked! I posted this thread: 

 

It became something of an obsession, but armed with Peter Anthony's panda book I persevered.

A year on, my collection has reached this stage, and I have only three coins still to find. Some coins have been peculiarly elusive, like the 2007 of which I eventually picked up a bundle of 15 which had been imported from China!

1989, 1990 and 1991

The series of 1oz bullion pandas strictly began in 1989. It is convenient for the panda collector to remind themselves of that, because although there are silver pandas going back to 1982, they are either not 1oz or not bullion, so they don't count!
1989 had only 1 variety, but I have collected two so as to show both sides. After this there are two or three varieties for each year up to 2003. This is because they were minted at three different mints: Shanghai (which are on the top row) and Shenzyang (bottom row). The Shenzhen Guobao mint-coins only began in 1999.

 

1992, 1993, 1994 and 1995

In 1995 for the first time there were 3 varieties. The bottom one, the "micro date" is one of the rarest varieties of panda. Both came from the Shenyang mint

 

1996, 1997, 1998 and 1999

I have still to source a 1998 Large date and the extremely rare 1999 large date with the serif on the 1 (which I believe was the first silver panda minted at Shenzhen Guobao).

 

2000, 2001, and 2002

The gap here is the Shanghai-minted 2000, which in contrast with the frosted-ring Shenzhen Guobao panda had a mirror-finish ring on the date side. This is one of the hardest-to-find and most expensive panda (aside from the silly-money 2003 with small D)

 

2003, 2004 and 2005.

2003 had two versions - one with a mirror/satin texture of bamboo in the background to the right of the panda and one with a more frosted finish.

Although the others from 2002 to 2005 all had the same design, they have come from different mints as seen from the edge of the seals. I am endeavouring to collect one of each so still looking for sealed 2003s. 

 

2006, 2007, 2008 and 2009.

These were not issued in seals any more.

 

2010, 2011, 2012, 2013. 

 

2014, 2015, 2016 and 2017.

For the only time in 2015, the panda did not show the weight, "Ag" and purity on the coin, but was still 1oz of 999 silver. This was a highly controversial change, so in 2016 they put these details back, and replaced it with another controversial move - they went metric and decreased the weight to only 30g of silver!

 

2018, 2019, 2020 and 2021.

This is as far as I've got so far, but I should be able to add 2022 in the next couple of weeks when the very first ones arrive from China in a very fun new design!

 

Many members of the forum have helped me greatly in assembling this collection. A special mention should go to @DavePanda who has given me loads of invaluable advice, lent me his Peter Anthony book, and sold me many of the coins in the collection.

Edited October 24, 2021 by arphethean

[KevinFlynn]

Great collection! And a nice way to stack two kilos of silver 😗

Have you been collecting for a long time, or did you need to work your way back? I guess the older ones carry quite a premium?

A question on packaging: every Silver Pandas come in a capsule? What is with the sheets on the older ones? And is keeping the trays I have seen somewhere worth it?

[arphethean]

20 minutes ago, KevinFlynn said:

Great collection! And a nice way to stack two kilos of silver 😗

Have you been collecting for a long time, or did you need to work your way back? I guess the older ones carry quite a premium?

A question on packaging: every Silver Pandas come in a capsule? What is with the sheets on the older ones? And is keeping the trays I have seen somewhere worth it?

Thank you! I have only been collecting since August 2020, so had to hunt them all down. It was a combination of sellers on TSF and Facebook groups and eBay. I have paid up to £160 for some of these (the 2000) but most of them pre 2005 are around £60-£80

Yes, every panda comes from the mint with a capsule but only the older ones pre-2006 have seals (though it is becoming increasingly rare to find them in their original seal). The seals were originally in sheets of 10 which were then cut up into singles. Now they come in these trays of 15 for bulk sales - keeps the capsules from scratching each other. The trays are very useful for storing post-2006 or older unsealed pandas.

[Tritoon01]

If I'm not mistaken, the 1989 panda also has a variety - mirrored surfaces1989. 🙃

[arphethean]

1 hour ago, Tritoon01 said:

If I'm not mistaken, the 1989 panda also has a variety - mirrored surfaces1989. 🙃

Yes, this is true, but I don't know a lot about this. Peter Anthony notes on NGC's entry that it comes in a "variety of lustres" but I don't think I'd be able to correctly identify one variety from another without a direct comparison. There are of course many differences between individual coins, for example, 1990 large dates come in that satin finish on the frosty parts which is typical of early pandas, and a far brighter more brilliant frosted version but that's not a recognised variety although the difference is striking. 

I might add the mirrored surface 1989 eventually if I come across one which has a noticeably different finish to those I own.

My collection indeed has morphed over the year, and I've replaced individual coins with higher grade ones if I have come across one for sale, so I expect that to continue for some time, for example my Shenyang 1992 is a bit rough so I could replace it with a better example. And I am on my 4th 2000 frosted version before I found the one which now holds that place!

Edited October 24, 2021 by arphethean

[AlphaBeast]

1989 is my favourite of the lot, because it seems very modern, especially as the later ones are more 'natural' looking. It is the coin that made me get into silver.

Funny as I am going through my collection as I went through a phase when I started collecting pandas, where I just bought them without making notes.

But looking at my notes, I have a shiny one, and it is a beauty. Guess that's why I store that one away, and keep the 'frosted' one at my desk.

In my notes, I have noted that there are 4 for 1993?? Maybe this is why I stopped pandas for a while! lol (unless I am wrong?)

 

 

Edited October 24, 2021 by AlphaBeast

[arphethean]

18 minutes ago, AlphaBeast said:

1989 is my favourite of the lot, because it seems very modern, especially as the later ones are more 'natural' looking. It is the coin that made me get into silver.

Funny as I am going through my collection as I went through a phase when I started collecting pandas, where I just bought them without making notes.

But looking at my notes, I have a shiny one, and it is a beauty. Guess that's why I store that one away, and keep the 'frosted' one at my desk.

In my notes, I have noted that there are 4 for 1993?? Maybe this is why I stopped pandas for a while! lol (unless I am wrong?)

 

 

No you're absolutely right. I'd not heard of this variety until now, but it's listed in Peter Anthony's price list and in the NGC list with pictures, but for the life of me I can't quite work out what is actually different between them! 

Could you possibly dig them out and show us pics? 

This is what I love about pandas... always so much new stuff to learn!

[iacabu]

What a fantastic collection. I've got a lot of love for pandas. 

[arphethean]

2 hours ago, AlphaBeast said:

1989 is my favourite of the lot, because it seems very modern, especially as the later ones are more 'natural' looking. It is the coin that made me get into silver

1989 is one of my favourites too. It's a fantastic design but I find it has a distinctly vintage feel to it.

Frankly I am not going to bother looking for the other 1993 varieties because of all the designs I find that a very clumsy-looking coin!

I think if I had to pick a favourite, 2003 would come very close - it does two things none of the other designs do quite as well - firstly use the round format ot best effect, and secondly bring in the third dimension with that sense of depth.

This is probably what brougt me to pandas in the first place- the fact that the designs are so diverse. I know other bullion series have changing designs but none quite like the panda IMO

[Happypanda88]

You done well to pick up so many good older pandas in such a short space of time. 

I started collecting them from 2015. Thank goodness they were far cheaper than they are now. The most expensive I've paid was a nice 2001 for £40 posted. 

Others I have managed to pick up relatively cheaply - for example, according to my spreadsheet a nice 2000 for £29.99 posted !  The same chap then sold me two 2003 in OMP for £65 posted !   (Sorry they are not for sale 🙂).

I haven't bothered about collecting different varieties. I still have gaps in my collection, namely 1998 and 1999. But I'm not actively seeking them out anymore as I don't intend to pay so much for an ounce of silver.

I haven't bothered to pick up any recent silver pandas either due to the high mintage of ten million. My last year was 2019. Though I might pick up a few 2022 as they are the 40th anniversary edition.

Good luck in picking up the remaining pandas.

[arphethean]

19 hours ago, arphethean said:

I think if I had to pick a favourite, 2003 would come very close - it does two things none of the other designs do quite as well - firstly use the round format ot best effect, and secondly bring in the third dimension with that sense of depth.

In fact I like the 2003 so much I got it in 5oz!

[arphethean]

Sadly there is no 1oz panda from 1988, my birth year. So instead I got the next best thing, indeed, a much better thing... 

[AlphaBeast]

I think the word in regards to the 1989 design might be 'retro'? It almost has a early 'gamer' feel to it. I liked it because it felt like a 'Japanese' style design  You can see clearly what I mean when you see the 1989 in shot, in comparison to the other one, also, how the white frosting sticks out. To be honest, I didn't even realise there was a different version, until I compared it with my other one. Definitely agreed that there is no other series like the pandas, and even the latest designs are quite nice, especially to gift people  

Here's a video of my pandas, mostly in order.

I have all the years aside from 1992, have mostly one version of each year, not both. I noticed I have a few multiples, maybe we should start a Panda swap club lol. 

It's nice to see other people's too! 

https://drive.google.com/file/d/14w6VZBIi8VPV6FtNgIT1lNavKpjNaPdW/view?usp=sharing

[AlphaBeast]

That's awesome! I am now tempted with one for the 1989, but probably be silly price! 

[arphethean]

On 25/10/2021 at 21:28, AlphaBeast said:

I think the word in regards to the 1989 design might be 'retro'? It almost has a early 'gamer' feel to it. I liked it because it felt like a 'Japanese' style design  You can see clearly what I mean when you see the 1989 in shot, in comparison to the other one, also, how the white frosting sticks out. To be honest, I didn't even realise there was a different version, until I compared it with my other one. Definitely agreed that there is no other series like the pandas, and even the latest designs are quite nice, especially to gift people  

Here's a video of my pandas, mostly in order.

I have all the years aside from 1992, have mostly one version of each year, not both. I noticed I have a few multiples, maybe we should start a Panda swap club lol. 

It's nice to see other people's too! 

https://drive.google.com/file/d/14w6VZBIi8VPV6FtNgIT1lNavKpjNaPdW/view?usp=sharing

You're right about the 1989!

1992 is not an easy year to find now.

Thanks so much for sharing your great collection

[arphethean]

Big BIG arrival today!

The 2000 mirror ring.

But... it is graded... and none of my other pandas are.... I got it brought in for me from China and it's hard to find a 2000 at the best of times, let alone a mirror, let alone OMP or good condition in capsule. So I just got a graded one and will probably end up taking it out of the slab at some point, but ridiculously nervous about doing so!!

There's one thing that the panda series is not, and that is consistent... So maybe this might be the inconsistent member of my collection.

[arphethean]

On 25/10/2021 at 21:28, AlphaBeast said:

I think the word in regards to the 1989 design might be 'retro'? It almost has a early 'gamer' feel to it. I liked it because it felt like a 'Japanese' style design  You can see clearly what I mean when you see the 1989 in shot, in comparison to the other one, also, how the white frosting sticks out. To be honest, I didn't even realise there was a different version, until I compared it with my other one. Definitely agreed that there is no other series like the pandas, and even the latest designs are quite nice, especially to gift people  

Here's a video of my pandas, mostly in order.

I have all the years aside from 1992, have mostly one version of each year, not both. I noticed I have a few multiples, maybe we should start a Panda swap club lol. 

It's nice to see other people's too! 

https://drive.google.com/file/d/14w6VZBIi8VPV6FtNgIT1lNavKpjNaPdW/view?usp=sharing

Just looked at the video again and yes, that is amazing how brilliant the frosting is in that top coin.. Wow! I must look one out. The 1990 LD is similar in how lustrous it is. Beautiful!

But I do think that streaky satin finish of those first pandas is quite a classic look as well.

[AlphaBeast]

The 2000 looks nice! Stands out as well. Always nice to get an 'unblemished' one! 

Yes, the frosting on the 1989 stands out. Initially, I thought it was just the way it was, that it was literally in the 'best condition', but thanks to you we are able to see that they did do more than 1 version. I think I am itching to get back into pandas again! 

Agreed; the finishing on the earlier dates were lovely. 

On 26/10/2021 at 21:59, arphethean said:

Just looked at the video again and yes, that is amazing how brilliant the frosting is in that top coin.. Wow! I must look one out. The 1990 LD is similar in how lustrous it is. Beautiful!

But I do think that streaky satin finish of those first pandas is quite a classic look as well.

 

[Centauri167]

A great collection, nice to watch them all and read your story. I also collect them but only started in 2013. Maybe a strange question but one that you probably know an answer on: why is the 2015 coin still available in many (web)shops and still at a cheap price ??

[Frenchie]

On 26/10/2021 at 22:50, arphethean said:

Big BIG arrival today!

The 2000 mirror ring.

But... it is graded... and none of my other pandas are.... I got it brought in for me from China and it's hard to find a 2000 at the best of times, let alone a mirror, let alone OMP or good condition in capsule. So I just got a graded one and will probably end up taking it out of the slab at some point, but ridiculously nervous about doing so!!

There's one thing that the panda series is not, and that is consistent... So maybe this might be the inconsistent member of my collection.

Your mirrored 2000 is scarced and moreover it's graded 70 ! If you remove it from the slab, you will probably loose half or even 2/3 of it's potential value !

Edit : I did not see it was not NGC, so I don't know if this grading company is well known. If it's me, I would keep it and would regrade it with NGC or PCGS, even a MS69 would be highly valuable

Edited October 30, 2021 by Frenchie

[arphethean]

I'm aware of the extra value attributed to high graded pandas. However, it is only a HCGS coin. If I were to have it re graded by NGC it would probably achieve an MS69 and would be worth just as much as what I paid or a bit more

[Frenchie]

1 minute ago, arphethean said:

I'm aware of the extra value attributed to high graded pandas. However, it is only a HCGS coin. If I were to have it re graded by NGC it would probably achieve an MS69 and would be worth just as much as what I paid or a bit more

You replied before I edited my post lol

[Centauri167]

On 30/10/2021 at 08:15, Centauri167 said:

A great collection, nice to watch them all and read your story. I also collect them but only started in 2013. Maybe a strange question but one that you probably know an answer on: why is the 2015 coin still available in many (web)shops and still at a cheap price ??

Sorry I ask it again, but I think this is the best topic for it because of all the Panda love and knowledge: "Why is the 2015 Panda still plenty available at webshops for a low price ? They made too many that year or what reason is there ? "

[Happypanda88]

The 2015 pandas, whether it be gold or silver is the only year where it does not have the weight nor purity on the coin.

I suspect some people are put off by it. Hence, the supply outweigh demand.

This was the last year where the one ounce coin was made. From 2016, the Chinese Mint adopted the metrics system and substituted the one ounce for 30 grams. I hope this helps. 

[Centauri167]

20 hours ago, Happypanda88 said:

The 2015 pandas, whether it be gold or silver is the only year where it does not have the weight nor purity on the coin.

I suspect some people are put off by it. Hence, the supply outweigh demand.

This was the last year where the one ounce coin was made. From 2016, the Chinese Mint adopted the metrics system and substituted the one ounce for 30 grams. I hope this helps. 

Thx a lot for the answer. That will probably be the reason indeed. For me a strange reason because it makes this coin more unique, so I would think it would be more collectable but now I know why.