The People’s Bank, which governs the creation of coins in China, has announced that because the Panda coins are so popular they will be increasing production. In December, I wrote that the People’s Bank was plannning on a 10-fold increase in production. However, the recent announcement shows a somewhat smaller increase.

The largest increase will be in the 110 ounce and 120 ounce gold Pandas with a 4-fold increase. Silver 1 ounce Panda coins will double from last year. Mintages are being reported as follows:

2011 Pandas 2010 Mintage New Mintage
1 ounce Gold 300,000 500,000
½ ounce Gold 120,000 200,000
¼ ounce Gold 120,000 200,000
110 ounce Gold 120,000 600,000
120 ounce Gold 120,000 600,000
1 ounce Silver 3,000,000 6,000,000

In some forums, it has been suggested that this increase would mark the fourth generation of the silver Panda coins. One source described the generations as:

Generation Weight Content Size
First Silver Panda Coins (1983-1985) 27g .900 fine 38.6 mm
Sterling Silver Panda (1987)
one year issue
1 troy oz .925 fine 40 mm
Second Generation (1988-1999) 1 troy oz .999 fine 40 mm
Third Generation (2000-2010)
Change in artists
1 troy oz .999 fine 40 mm
Fourth Generation
Increased Production
1 troy oz .999 fine 40 mm

Some have called silver the investment vehicle for the masses. Silver has a silky color that allows for striking designs to be very visible. Because silver is less dense than gold, a one ounce coin made from silver is larger than a one ounce gold coin. This means there is a larger surface area for beautiful designs, like the silver Panda.

Silver Panda coin image and production data courtesy of CGCI

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