Martin S. Collection of China Silver Panda 5 Yuan MS and PF 1/2oz
1997 PANDA COLORIZED PF

Owner Comments:

The 1997 5 Yuan colorized silver Panda is the first ½ oz. silver proof in the series.The colors were applied through a screening process and not painted on. With magnification the screen is visible as a series of colored dots. The charming Panda image on the 1997 proof appears on no other coin except the 1997 1 oz. proof silver Panda. Not surprisingly, the 1997 ½ oz. and 1 oz. colorized silver Pandas are sometimes sold together as a pair. The Temple of Heaven on the obverse is also a slightly different shape than any found on the non-colorized Pandas.

The colorized Pandas were not minted in China but rather in Switzerland and are the only official Pandas to be struck in Europe. The authorized mintage of the 1998 5 Yuan proof is 100,000 but the coin is nowhere near as common as the mintage would suggest.