Panda Halves
1994 Proof 50Y


Obverse
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Reverse
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Coin Details

  

Set Details
Origin/Country: CHINA - PANDA SERIES
Design Description:
Item Description: G50Y 1994P PANDA
Grade: NGC PF 70 ULTRA CAMEO
Owner: Panda Halves
 
Winning Set: Panda Halves
Date Added: 3/29/2011
Research: See NGC's Census Report for this Coin

Owner's Description

This panda was the toughest for me to locate. The coin is almost always part of a full 1994 proof set and dealers rarely if ever are willing to break this set up due to the low mintage. I initially purchased an already graded single PF69 1994 1/2 from a reputable seller and the coin ended up getting lost in the US Mail system. At the time there were only 12 NGC graded 1994 halves and for the collecting community to lose one was quite sad. This was the last coin I needed to complete my proof set and after months of looking for a good replacement coin to purchase I had no luck. I had seven major dealers looking everywhere for this single coin and there were none to be found in sets or as singles. During my search I discovered ten 1992 proof sets for sale but no 1994 sets. Peter Anthony finally found a friend who knew a dealer who knew an individual in Shanghai with one set for sale. I had to put a deposit down on a set sight unseen and trust three strangers to make the coin arrive hand carried across the ocean to the ANA Convention. At the ANA Convention on 19MAR11 I had Peter Anthony sign my copy of his Gold and Silver Panda Coin Buyer's Guide; and handed him the rest of the money for the coins. I was skeptical about their condition because of some foreign matter in the double sealed capsule. Peter brought out his 5x magnifying glass and assured me that the foreign matter was from wayward pieces of clear plastic capsule and to not worry. I took his advice and directly submitted the entire set. To my delight this coin; the last coin I needed for my set ended up grading as a PF70 and is now the crown jewel of my collection. This is the second rarest mintage of any 1/2 ounce panda with only 903 reported as actually minted. I'm guessing that this number could be even less than that due to the relative unavailability of the set as compared to other dates, including the 1992. After years of collecting, the disappointment of purchasing a coin and losing it, trusting in complete strangers to make good on their deals, and having to purchase a full set sight unseen to get the last 1/2oz proof I needed, I was finally able to complete my 1/2 ounce gold panda proof set. The coin features a playful panda bending a piece of bamboo toward himself.

1994 Panda
Face Value: 50Y
Coin Weight: 1/2oz
Content: 99.999 gold
Diameter: 27mm
Quality: Proof
Mintage Authorized: 2,000
Mintage Actual: *903

PF70: 1 of 1

Panda Fact:
There are an estimated 1600-2000 pandas in the wild and around 300 living in zoos worldwide.

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