10 Yuan Panda

The 1997 Chinese Silver Panda series marked the transition away from fixed-weight designations toward the explicit "1 oz" labeling that had caused years of confusion among Western dealers accustomed to troy-standard bullion. That same year, the design was updated — as it is nearly every year by policy — making the 1997 issue a single-year type with no carry-forward dies. The People's Bank of China introduced fan-shaped mint marks on bullion issues around this period, and attributing the striking facility between Shenyang and Shanghai on 1997 examples remains a legitimate point of collector contention.