The History of Panda Commemoratives

The China mint began minting panda coins in 1982 starting with gold pandas that had no monetary denomination. In 1983, the first silver pandas were minted with the addition of Yuan denominations (legal tender monetary amounts) on both the gold and silver panda coins.

1984

Panda commemorative issues (previously known as "show pandas") were born in 1984 when the China mint created a silver 1 ounce panda commemorative for the 3rd Hong Kong International Coin Exposition.

A panda commemorative is defined as an official China mint issue of the same quality as the regular panda coins, but lacking a monetary denomination and dedicated to coin shows outside of mainland China.

Today, the first issue is rather hard to find and expensive in high grade. Here is a beautiful example:

1984 Hong Kong Expo Silver 1oz Panda 1984 Hong Kong Expo Silver 1oz Panda The First Panda Commemorative

China 1984 Silver Panda
Distribution: 3rd Hong Kong Expo
Mint: Official China Mint
Weight: 1 Ounce of 925 fine silver
Mintage: 1000
Obverse: Panda
Reverse: Hong Kong Expo


1984 Hong Kong Expo Silver 12oz Panda 1984 Hong Kong Expo Silver 12oz Panda A 12 Ounce Silver Panda Commemorative

China 1986 Silver Panda
Distribution: 5th Hong Kong Expo
Mint: Official China Mint
Weight: 12 Ounces of 999 fine silver
Mintage: 1000
Obverse: Panda
Reverse: Hong Kong Expo

Notes: Very hard to find in PR-69 grade.


By 1987, the "show pandas" had expanded to include other coin shows around the world and several US cities including Long Beach, San Francisco, New Orleans, and New York. The first panda commemorative for the summer ANA convention was minted in 1986.

The boom in panda commemoratives lasted for several years, but by the year 1997 there were no more being minted. This was not to be the end of this collectible and interesting program. But it wasn't until 2012 that another panda commemorative would be struck again! That year, the summer ANA show in Philadelphia had silver and gold commemoratives minted.

2019

The Long Beach Expo has been fortunate to have 3 issues minted: 1987, 2013, and beginning in 2019 with the addition of the panda commemorative 35th anniversary issue.

The year 2019 marks the 35th anniversary of these popular and interesting panda commemoratives. To celebrate this anniversary, the Shanghai mint created 3 commemoratives with low mintages to be distributed at the Long Beach Expo in June and September 2019.

The 35th Anniversary Panda Commemoratives:
China 2019, 5 Kilo Gold, 35th Anniversary of Panda Commemoratives, Mintage 5
China 2019, 2 Ounce Gold, 35th Anniversary of Panda Commemoratives, Mintage 38
China 2019, 5 Ounce Silver, 35th Anniversary of Panda Commemoratives, Mintage 100

The Silver version of 2019 is also the beginning of a 12 year Lunar Panda Series, which featured a design by Thomas S. Cleveland, former US Mint Master Designer. Mr. Cleveland will design the lunar series side of the commemoratives. The panda side will be designed by the Chinese official government mint in Shanghai. The silver 5oz had an added hologram effect which showed many colors when tilted into the light. This hologram effect was continued into the following year's silver pandas.

The 35th Anniversary of Panda Commemoratives issue was comprised of 3 commemoratives that were distributed at the Long Beach Expo in 2019:

Long Beach Expo 2019 Gold 5 Kilo Panda Long Beach Expo 2019 Gold 5 Kilo Panda China 2019 35th Anniversary Issue
Distribution: Long Beach Expo
Mint: Official Shanghai China Mint
Weight: 5 Kilos of 999 fine gold
Diameter: 150 mm
Edge: Plain with serial number
Mintage: 5
Obverse: Panda in the wild, Cities issued commemoratives
Reverse: 35th Anniversary
PROOF certificate of authenticity
Long Beach Expo 2019 Gold 2 Ounce Panda Long Beach Expo 2019 Gold 2 Ounce Panda China 2019 35th Anniversary Issue
Distribution: Long Beach Expo
Mint: Official Shanghai China Mint
Weight: 2 Ounces of 999 fine gold
Diameter: 40 mm
Edge: Plain with serial number
Mintage: 38
Obverse: Panda in the wild, Cities issued commemoratives
Reverse: 35th Anniversary
PROOF with box and certificate of authenticity
Long Beach Expo 2019 Silver 5 Ounce Panda Long Beach Expo 2019 Silver 5 Ounce Panda China 2019 35th Anniversary Issue
Distribution: Long Beach Expo
Mint: Official Shanghai China Mint
Weight: 5 Ounces of 999 fine silver
Diameter: 70 mm
Edge: Plain
Mintage: 100
Obverse: Panda in the wild, Cities issued commemoratives
Reverse: Lunar Series, Year of the Pig, 1st of the series
Designer: Thomas S. Cleveland,
United States Mint Master Designer
PROOF with box and certificate of authenticity

2020

The 2020 Official Long Beach Show Panda Commemorative Issue was delayed by the coronovirus pandemic and came out in 2021.
It celebrated the Year of the Rat and was released at the September 2021 show

The Shanghai mint created 3 pandas this year:

Long Beach Expo 2020 Silver 1 ounce Panda Long Beach Expo 2020 Silver 1 ounce Panda SPECIFICATIONS: China 2020
Distribution: Long Beach Expo
Mint: Official Shanghai China Mint
Weight: 1 Ounce of 999 fine silver
Diameter: 40 mm, Edge: Reeded
Mintage: 280 (SOLD OUT)
Obverse: Pandas at the temple
Reverse: Lunar Series 2nd Issue, Year of the Rat
Designer: Thomas S. Cleveland,
United States Mint Master Designer.
PROOF with box and certificate of authenticity
Long Beach Expo 2020 Silver 5 Ounce Panda Long Beach Expo 2020 Silver 5 Ounce Panda SPECIFICATIONS: China 2020
Distribution: Long Beach Expo
Mint: Official Shanghai China Mint
Weight: 5 Ounces of 999 fine silver
Diameter: 80 mm, Edge: Reeded
Mintage: 100 (Lowest of any 5oz panda)
Obverse: Pandas at the temple
Reverse: Lunar Series 2nd Issue, Year of the Rat
Designer: Thomas S. Cleveland,
United States Mint Master Designer.
PROOF with box and certificate of authenticity
Long Beach Expo 2020 Silver 5 Kilo Panda Long Beach Expo 2020 Silver 5 Kilo Panda SPECIFICATIONS: China 2020
Distribution: Long Beach Expo
Mint: Official Shanghai China Mint
Weight: 5 Kilos of 999 fine silver
Diameter: 180 mm, Edge: Plain with serial number
Mintage: 15 (SOLD OUT)
Obverse: Pandas at the temple
Reverse: Lunar Series 2nd Issue, Year of the Rat
Designer: Thomas S. Cleveland,
United States Mint Master Designer.
PROOF with certificate of authenticity
This is the largest silver panda ever minted.

2021

The 2021 Official Long Beach Show Panda Commemorative Issue was also delayed by the coronovirus pandemic and came out
in 2022. It celebrated the Year of the Ox and was released at the February 2022 show

The Shanghai mint created 3 pandas this year:

Long Beach Expo 2020 Silver 1 ounce Panda Long Beach Expo 2020 Silver 1 ounce Panda SPECIFICATIONS: China 2021
Distribution: Long Beach Expo
Mint: Official Shanghai China Mint
Weight: 1 Ounce of 999 fine silver
Diameter: 40 mm, Edge: Reeded
Mintage: 280
Obverse: Pandas at the pagoda
Reverse: Lunar Series 3rd Issue, Year of the Ox
Designer: Thomas S. Cleveland,
United States Mint Master Designer.
PROOF with box and certificate of authenticity
Long Beach Expo 2020 Silver 5 Ounce Panda Long Beach Expo 2020 Silver 5 Ounce Panda SPECIFICATIONS: China 2021
Distribution: Long Beach Expo
Mint: Official Shanghai China Mint
Weight: 5 Ounces of 999 fine silver
Diameter: 80 mm, Edge: Reeded
Mintage: 100 (Lowest of any 5oz panda)
Obverse: Pandas at the pagoda
Reverse: Lunar Series 3rd Issue, Year of the Ox
Designer: Thomas S. Cleveland,
United States Mint Master Designer.
PROOF with box and certificate of authenticity
Long Beach Expo 2021 Platinum 2oz Panda, Pandas at the pagoda, Year of the Ox Long Beach Expo 2021 Platinum 2oz Panda, Pandas at the pagoda, Year of the Ox SPECIFICATIONS: China 2021
Distribution: Long Beach Expo
Mint: Official Shanghai China Mint
Weight: 2 oz of 999 fine platinum
Diameter: 40 mm, Edge: Plain with serial number
Mintage: 38
Obverse: Pandas at the pagoda
Reverse: Lunar Series 3rd Issue, Year of the Ox
Designer: Thomas S. Cleveland,
United States Mint Master Designer.
PROOF with box and certificate of authenticity



2022


The Official Chinese government mint created 3 panda commemoratives with low mintages for the Year of the Tiger. They are officially sanctioned by the Long Beach Expo and the Shanghai mint. The commemoratives were delayed by the pandemic again. They were sold at the February 2023 show.

The 2022 Long Beach Expo issue consists of 3 panda commemoratives:
China 2022, 5 Kilo Silver, Panda Commemorative, Lunar Year of the Tiger, Mintage 18
China 2022, 5 Ounce Silver, Panda Commemorative, Lunar Year of the Tiger, Mintage 100
China 2022, 1 Ounce Silver, Panda Commemorative, Lunar Year of the Tiger, Mintage 280

This is the fourth year of a 12 year Lunar Panda Series which began in 2019. It features a reverse design by Thomas S. Cleveland, former United States Mint Master Designer, and panda design by the Official government mint at Shanghai.


Long Beach Expo 2022 Silver 1 ounce Panda Long Beach Expo 2022 Silver 1 ounce Panda SPECIFICATIONS: China 2022
Distribution: Long Beach Expo
Mint: Official Shanghai China Mint
Weight: 1 Ounce of 999 fine silver
Diameter: 40 mm, Edge: Reeded
Mintage: 280
Obverse: Pandas at the ancient bridge
Reverse: Lunar Series 4th Issue, Year of the Tiger
Designer: Thomas S. Cleveland,
United States Mint Master Designer.
PROOF with certificate of authenticity
Long Beach Expo 2022 Silver 5 Ounce Panda Long Beach Expo 2022 Silver 5 Ounce Panda SPECIFICATIONS: China 2022
Distribution: Long Beach Expo
Mint: Official Shanghai China Mint
Weight: 5 Ounces of 999 fine silver
Diameter: 80 mm, Edge: Reeded
Mintage: 100 (Lowest of any 5oz panda)
Obverse: Pandas at the ancient bridge
Reverse: Lunar Series 4th Issue, Year of the Tiger
Designer: Thomas S. Cleveland,
United States Mint Master Designer.
PROOF with certificate of authenticity
Long Beach Expo 2022 Silver 5 kilo Panda, Pandas at the ancient bridge, Year of the Tiger Long Beach Expo 2022 Silver 5 kilo Panda, Pandas at the ancient bridge, Year of the Tiger SPECIFICATIONS: China 2022
Distribution: Long Beach Expo
Mint: Official Shanghai China Mint
Weight: 5 Kilos of 999 fine silver
Diameter: 180 mm, Edge: Plain with serial number
Mintage: 18
Obverse: Pandas at the ancient bridge
Reverse: Lunar Series 4th Issue, Year of the Tiger
Designer: Thomas S. Cleveland,
United States Mint Master Designer.
PROOF with certificate of authenticity

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