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1992 CHINESE SILVER PANDA — 1 OZ .999 FINE SILVER — 10 YUAN
This is an early Chinese Silver Panda from the years when mintages were still small and every date had its own art. Not a modern multi-million-piece bullion issue. One full troy ounce of .999 silver, legal tender 10 Yuan, Temple of Heaven on the front, a giant panda climbing through bamboo on the back.
The coin in the photos is the exact coin you get.
WHY THIS DATE MATTERS
Most Pandas people own today are 2010s coins struck by the million. 1992 is different.
• Combined BU mintage is only about 100,000 for the whole year (Shanghai + Shenyang)
• Estimated surviving population is tighter — around 60,000 per Peter Anthony’s Panda Buyer’s Guide
• Later 1 oz Pandas ran 600,000 to 8,000,000
• Annual design change means 1992 is a one-year type
• Early 1990s Pandas are the sweet spot: full 1 oz .999 standard, still low mintage, already decades old
This is the date collectors fill after they get tired of common modern Pandas.
HISTORY — WHO MADE THEM, HOW MANY, AND WHY
The Silver Panda series started in 1983 as small-mintage proofs (27 g, .900 fine). No silver Pandas in 1986 or 1988. In 1989 China launched the modern bullion format: 1 troy ounce, .999 fine, 10 Yuan face, Temple of Heaven obverse, new panda reverse every year.
1992 sits in that early bullion era.
Who made them
Issued by the People’s Bank of China. Struck by the official China Mint system — principally the Shanghai Mint (Large Date) and Shenyang Mint (Small Date). Chinese mints almost never put a mintmark on these, so collectors tell the mints apart by date style and die details.
Why they were made
Three jobs at once:
1. Sell silver and earn hard currency after China opened to world markets
2. Compete with the Maple Leaf, Silver Eagle, and Libertad using a uniquely Chinese national symbol
3. Put the giant panda — China’s most famous animal and a conservation icon — on a coin the world would actually want to own
That formula worked. The Panda became one of the few sovereign silver series that changes art every year, so stackers and date collectors chase the same coin.
The artist
The first Silver Panda (1983) was designed by mint artist Yu Min. The first Gold Panda (1982) was by Chen Jian. Later dates, including 1992, were produced by China Mint engravers. A single named designer for the 1992 climbing-panda reverse is not published in standard catalogs.
The obverse is the Hall of Prayer for Good Harvests at the Temple of Heaven in Beijing — built 1406–1420 under the Ming dynasty. That building has been the Panda obverse since the modern series began.
THE DESIGN
Obverse
Hall of Prayer for Good Harvests, Temple of Heaven, Beijing
Legend: (People’s Republic of China)
Date: 1992
Reverse
A giant panda climbing a tree among bamboo and leaves — the 1992 one-year type
Inscriptions: .999 Ag 1oz and 10 元
Edge: reeded
1992 also exists as Large Date (Shanghai) and Small Date (Shenyang). The two are close on this year. Large Date usually has slightly bolder, higher-relief numerals. This example is sold raw from the photos — inspect the date style yourself.
SPECS
Country: People’s Republic of China
Year: 1992
Face value: 10 Yuan
Metal: Silver
Purity: .999 fine
Weight: 31.1 g (1 troy oz)
Actual silver weight: 0.999 oz
Diameter: 40 mm
Edge: Reeded
Orientation: Medal (↑↑)
Catalog: KM#397 / Y#346 / PAN-182
Series: Chinese Panda bullion
Strike: Brilliant Uncirculated business strike
Mintage (BU, combined): about 100,000
Shanghai Large Date (reported): about 47,713
Shenyang Small Date (reported): about 52,003
CONDITION
Sold raw / uncertified, exactly as photographed. Strong detail in the panda fur, bamboo, temple steps, and legends. Bright silver surfaces with proof-like flash typical of early 1990s Pandas.
SHIPPING
Ships USPS with tracking.
Coin is packed so it does not rattle or slide.
Combined shipping if you grab more than one item from the shop.
SHOP
Check out the shop for more rare coins — early Pandas, world silver, and other low-mintage pieces.
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