200 Yuan Panda

The Panda series shifted to .999 fineness in 1990, abandoning the .9999 standard briefly used in the late 1980s — a quiet reversal that caused some confusion among early collectors tracking the series. The 2007 issues were struck at multiple Chinese mints, identifiable by small mint marks added to the series beginning in 2001 after years of collector complaints about the inability to attribute individual pieces to specific facilities.

Annual design changes, a deliberate policy since the series launched in 1982, mean no two years share an obverse image — a marketing decision that fundamentally drove the series' international appeal and set it apart from bullion programs like the Krugerrand.