800 Yuan Panda

China's Panda gold series, launched in 1982, became the first major bullion program to change its reverse design annually — a deliberate policy break from the static imagery used by rivals like the Krugerrand and Maple Leaf. The 50g denomination sits at the top of the standard annual Panda weight range and has historically commanded a premium over spot that smaller fractions rarely sustain. The .999 fineness standard was adopted for the series in 1990, replacing the earlier .9999 specification — a distinction that still catches collectors off guard when attributing pre-1990 examples.