2017 Panda Silver MS69

History

China moved its Panda bullion coins to metric weights in 2016, cutting the one troy ounce silver coin to 30 grams and the five ounce coin to 150 grams. The 2017 issue is the second struck under that standard, and it carries roughly 3.5 percent less silver than the 31.103 gram coins produced through 2015. The program remains an issue of the People's Bank of China, with the reverse panda motif replaced each year.

Details

The coin has a face value of 10 Yuan, weighs 30 grams, and is struck in 99.9 percent silver, giving an actual silver content of 0.965 troy ounce. Diameter is 40 mm with a thickness of no more than 3 mm, and the edge is reeded with a left slant. The People's Bank of China set the program at 10,000,000 pieces in Mint State quality.

Features

The obverse shows the Hall of Prayer for Good Harvests from the Temple of Heaven complex in Beijing, the constant design element that runs through the entire Panda series. The reverse carries the annual panda composition, which is replaced with new artwork for each dated issue. The same reverse design is used on the Gold Panda coins of the corresponding year, so the silver and gold issues of 2017 share their panda artwork.

Notable facts

• Panda coins are struck across a range of sizes, from 0.5 troy ounce up to 1 kilogram.
• The 10,000,000 figure was published as the program maximum in December 2016, ahead of the coins reaching the market.
• Panda issues are produced at more than one Chinese mint, and specific strikings can sometimes be separated by die characteristics.
• The 2017 silver issue was released as a Mint State bullion coin rather than a proof.