2010 5 oz Chinese Silver Panda (Coin Specifications)

The Certificate of Authenticity (COA) in blue fonts

2010 5 oz Chinese Silver Panda Obverse

2010 5 oz Chinese Silver Panda Reverse

2010 5 oz Chinese Silver Panda

The usual blue and grey cardboard box

The 2010 version has a plastic bag covering the wooden case

The inside of the 2010 is quite different too. It has some soft packing material to protect the capsule and also silica gel to keep it dry.

The coin unwrapped

2010 Chinese Panda Coin (Shenzhen Guobao v.s. Shenyang Mint) Part 2

This post highlights the remaining difference:

Shenyang Mint produced

Shenzhen Guobao Mint produced

• The digit '2' on the Shenyang Mint product has a thicker horizontal line.
• The year '2010' on the Shenzhen Mint product tend to be further from the rim, hence, can be known as by the common term for Panda coins - Small Date.

2010 Chinese Panda Coin (Shenzhen Guobao v.s. Shenyang Mint)

As mentioned earlier, there are at least 2 variations of the 2010 Silver Panda coin. This post highlights 2 areas of differences:

Shenyang Mint produced

Shenzhen Guobao Mint produced

Differences:

1) Fur on the neck of left panda

2) Fur on the hind leg of right panda

3) Paws of the right panda

4) Bamboo background of the Shenzhen product tends to be more frosty

Shenyang Mint produced

Shenzhen Guobao Mint produced

Difference:

1) Shenzhen product has thicker fonts than Shenyang

2010 Chinese Panda Coin

The 2010 Chinese Panda coins would be issued by November 2009. There would be 7 gold and 3 silver panda coins for 2010.

The planned maximum mintage is as follows, previous year mintage in ( ):

GOLD

1 kilo: 200

5oz: 1,000

1oz: 300,000 (160,000)

1/2oz: 120,000 (60,000)

1/4oz: 120,000 (60,000)

1/10oz: 120,000 (100,000)

1/20oz: 120,000 (100,000)

SILVER

2010 Chinese Silver Panda Obverse

2010 Chinese Silver Panda Reverse

1 kilo: 4,000

5oz: 10,000

1oz: 800,000 (600,000)

The Chinese government is definitely encouraging more of their common People to hold physical precious metals by greatly increasing the mintage for the smaller denomination.

Within 1 month of issue, collectors began to spot the differences between the 2010 Silver Panda coins. It began with 2 varieties differentiated by their capsules - Shenzhen Guobao Mint uses capsules that has 3 hitches inside to keep the coin in position. It was observed that the Shenzhen produced coin had a frosty background of the bamboo.

Later on, other collectors also observed that from each mint, there are actually 2 varieties making it total of 4 varieties for the 2010 version of Silver Panda coins. The differences between the 4 varieties can be observed from the 'black' fur at the neck of the left panda and right hind leg of the right panda.

Total NGC graded: 16,959

MS70 (1,805); MS69 (11,705); MS68 (3,271); MS67 (117); MS66 (47); MS65 (7); MS64 (7)