Chinese Gold Panda

Chinese Gold Panda Coins

The Chinese gold Panda was first issued in 1982 by the China Gold Coin Incorporation, and is one of a very small number of bullion series to carry a completely new design every year. The obverse shows the Hall of Prayer for Good Harvests at the Temple of Heaven in Beijing, while the reverse features the giant panda, redrawn annually since the series began, with only 2001 and 2002 repeating an earlier design.

That yearly change gives the Panda a following among collectors that most bullion coins never develop, and older dates with low mintages can trade well above their gold value. The coins are struck in 999 fine gold and are legal tender in the People's Republic of China.

Like all investment grade gold, the Chinese gold Panda is exempt from VAT, so the price you pay reflects the gold content and a small premium rather than being inflated by sales tax.

Chinese Gold Panda Coin Specification

The Chinese gold Panda is a Chinese gold coin manufactured by the China Gold Coin Incorporation.

For its first thirty four years the Panda was struck in the traditional troy ounce system, with a one ounce coin at the head of the range. In 2016 the series was reweighted into metric sizes to suit its domestic market, and the one ounce coin became a 30 gram coin. Every size moved at the same time, so a modern 15 gram Panda takes the place of the old half ounce and a 1 gram coin replaces the twentieth ounce. The difference matters when comparing prices across years: a pre-2016 one ounce Panda holds 31.10 grams of gold against 30 grams in the current coin, so always check the date before comparing two Pandas on price.

Denominations & Sizes

The Panda is produced in five bullion sizes, all of them metric since the 2016 change. Face values run from 500 yuan on the 30 gram coin down to 10 yuan on the 1 gram, nominal figures set far below what the gold is worth. Every size is struck to the same purity, so the choice between them comes down to how much gold you want at a time and the premium you are willing to pay on the smaller pieces. The table below also gives the pre-2016 size each coin replaced.

Panda Coins in Other Metals

The same annual design approach runs through the Chinese silver Panda, introduced in 1983 and now one of the most widely collected silver bullion series in the world. It went through the same switch from ounces to grams in 2016, with the one ounce silver coin becoming a 30 gram coin.

Chinese Gold Panda Price

Chinese Gold Panda prices are derived from the value of the gold each coin contains. Each Chinese gold Panda coin weighs 30g or 31.10g, and is struck to a purity of 24 carat, meaning it contains 30g or 31.10g of pure gold.

Chinese Gold Panda prices can vary thanks to the coin's history and numismatic appeal, with certain years or designs being particularly desirable with collectors. The price of a new Chinese gold Panda coin will typically be based on today's gold price, with a small premium to cover the cost of manufacturing and supply of the coin. Older or rare Chinese gold Panda coins can cost considerably more than the UK gold price. With the global price of gold being primarily calculated in dollars, periods in which the pound is weak versus the dollar will see UK Chinese gold Panda prices rise, while a strong pound would see lower prices in the UK.

Our Chinese gold Panda prices are displayed in real-time, updating every two minutes in-line with the current gold spot price. The Chinese gold Panda price shown includes fully insured delivery.

Chinese Gold Panda Value

Investors often ask what is the value of a Chinese gold Panda? Chinese gold Panda coins have a face value of 100 yuan from 1982 to 2000, and 500 yuan after 2000. It is important to note that the face value is a nominal amount that has no bearing on the actual value of the coin. As mentioned, the Chinese gold Panda coin's main value can usually be worked out based on the current gold price. It is this simplicity that makes gold bullion coins appealing. They are bought and sold based on their intrinsic metal value without having to worry about any numismatic value and a more complicated selling process.

You can always find a simple benchmark value for a Chinese gold Panda thanks to the publicly available spot price. The value of a Chinese gold Panda is therefore generally the same regardless of the year and is just based on the metal content. Some years of Chinese gold Panda might command a further premium. A lower mintage, or special design could see their value increase beyond their metal content.

The easiest way to work out a Chinese Gold Panda value is to use its gold weight of 30g or 31.10g and multiply that by the current gold spot price in grams. As a coin with a purity of 999.9 fineness, it's important to calculate the 24 carat Chinese gold Panda value, to ensure you have an accurate price.

How Much are Chinese Gold Panda Coins Worth?

If you are wondering how much are Chinese Gold Panda coins worth, a simple rule of thumb is that a Chinese gold Panda has 30g or 31.10g of pure gold, roughly 1 troy ounce. If you see the gold price in troy ounces you can therefore work out how much a Chinese gold Panda is worth quite quickly.