50 Yuan Panda

The 2008 issue holds particular significance within the Panda series: that year's coins were produced in the run-up to the Beijing Olympics, and the Chinese Mint increased output of prestige silver issues substantially to meet both domestic and international collector demand. The 155.55g five-troy-ounce format had been part of the program since the 1980s, but distribution channels by 2008 were heavily weighted toward overseas buyers — particularly in Germany and the United States — where the series had built a serious following among bullion collectors.

The Chinese Mint changed the panda design annually, a policy that drove secondary market premiums well above melt on recent dates.