China's platinum bullion program launched in 1987, making 1988 only the second year of issue for the series. The People's Bank of China produced these in extremely limited quantities — platinum Lunar issues from this period routinely had mintages under 2,000 pieces — partly because platinum commanded a price premium over gold at the time, sharply limiting collector demand.
The 1988 series coincided with platinum's peak price relative to gold; spot platinum briefly exceeded $650/oz that year.
China's platinum bullion program launched in 1987, making 1988 only the second year of issue for the series. The People's Bank of China produced these in extremely limited quantities — platinum Lunar issues from this period routinely had mintages under 2,000 pieces — partly because platinum commanded a price premium over gold at the time, sharply limiting collector demand.
The 1988 series coincided with platinum's peak price relative to gold; spot platinum briefly exceeded $650/oz that year.