Catalog
See full images - free registration
Continue with Google - no registration!
or register with email
Why register? Just to keep bots out of our catalog. Your email stays private - we will never share it or send you anything uninvited. We guarantee you that!
500 Yuan Panda
| Issuer | People's Bank of China |
|---|---|
| Year | 2004 |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | 500 Yuan (500元, 五佰圓) |
| Currency | Log in to see details |
| Composition | Log in to see details |
| Weight | Log in to see details |
| Diameter | Log in to see details |
| Thickness | Log in to see details |
| Shape | Log in to see details |
| Technique | Log in to see details |
| Orientation | Log in to see details |
| Engraver(s) | Log in to see details |
| In circulation to | Log in to see details |
| Reference(s) | Log in to see details |
| Obverse description | Central field features a finely detailed rendering of the Hall of Prayer for Good Harvests (Qiniandian) at the Temple of Heaven in Beijing, depicted in three-quarter perspective with its characteristic triple-eaved circular roof, ornate colonnade, and marble terrace with flanking stairways. The architectural image is rendered with exceptional precision against a mirror-polished field. The Chinese legend 中华人民共和国 (People's Republic of China) arcs along the upper border in raised Chinese characters, while the date 2004 appears in Arabic numerals along the lower border. |
|---|---|
| Obverse script | Log in to see details |
| Obverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Reverse description | Central design depicts an adult giant panda (Ailuropoda melanoleuca) nuzzling its small cub in an affectionate maternal scene, both rendered in high relief with fine engraving capturing the characteristic black-and-white markings and dense fur texture. A bamboo stalk with foliage rises along the left side of the field, providing a naturalistic habitat context. The legend '1 oz Au .9999' arcs along the upper border in Latin characters, attesting to the coin's weight and purity. The denomination '500元' appears in the lower right field in a combination of Arabic numerals and Chinese characters. |
| Reverse script | Log in to see details |
| Reverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Edge | Log in to see details |
| Mint | Log in to see details |
| Mintage | Log in to see details |
| Additional information |
The 2004 Panda gold series falls within the period when the People's Bank of China was still varying the design annually — a policy that began in 1983 and was interrupted only in 2001 and 2002, when an identical design was repeated and sparked significant collector backlash. That controversy prompted the bank to reaffirm the annual change policy going forward. The .9999 fineness specification, rather than the .999 used in earlier issues, was standardized from 2001 onward as Chinese mints upgraded refining capacity to compete with the Canadian Maple Leaf on purity.