Hobbies And Interests
History
China released the Gold Panda for sale around the world in 1982. The Chinese Gold Panda was unique during its first few years of release because of its shifting design and high premium. The Gold Panda featured different designs every year and sold for significantly more than other gold bullion coins of the same weight and purity. This made them appear more exclusive, turning them into immediate collector items. Several other national mints copied the Chinese Gold Panda model by shifting their designs and raising their sales premiums.
Design
Gold Panda coins feature a different panda design on the reverse of the coin every year. Some years it is a single panda while other years it is a group of pandas. The obverse of the Gold Panda coin is always the same. It is the Temple of Heaven in Beijing, China, along with the year of issue.
Purity
Chinese Gold Panda coins are 0.999 percent pure gold. This is considered 24 karat gold or "pure" gold even though it contains one tenth of one percent impurities. It is the purest form of gold possible with our current technology in 2010.
Sizes
The most common size of Chinese Gold Panda coins is 1 oz. Chinese Gold Panda coins are also made in 1/2 oz., 1/4 oz., 1/10 oz. and 1/20 oz. sizes. There have been occasional, sporadic releases of larger 5 oz. and 12 oz. Chinese Gold Panda coins.
Value
The value of a Gold Panda coin depends on the condition, weight, the spot price of gold, premium and rarity. All Gold Panda coins are presumed to be in brilliant uncirculated condition since they are collected and not spent like money. Especially high quality specimens can command higher prices. The weight of the Gold Panda is multiplied by the spot price of gold to determine the value of the gold content. A premium of between 4 and 5 percent is added for manufacturing costs. Gold Panda coins were in some years minted in small numbers making them hard to find and more expensive.