Obverse: the obverse of the coin depicts a giant panda sitting in a bamboo grove and holding a bamboo branch in its paws. The finely detailed fur of the panda and the bamboo background give the composition a distinctive appearance. The denomination “100 元” appears on the left, while the weight and gold fineness “8 g Au .999” are inscribed at the bottom.
Reverse: the reverse depicts the Hall of Prayer for Good Harvests at the Temple of Heaven in Beijing, one of the most recognisable symbols of Chinese architecture. The inscription “中华人民共和国” (People’s Republic of China) appears in Chinese characters above, while the year of issue “2017” is shown below.
About the coin: the 2017 Chinese Gold Panda is an investment and collectible coin struck from .999 fine gold. It weighs 8 g, has a face value of 100 yuan and a diameter of 22 mm. The giant panda is one of China’s most recognisable symbols, and coins from this series are particularly notable because the panda design changes almost every year. The Chinese Panda coin series was introduced in 1982, while in 2016 the traditional troy-ounce weights were replaced by the metric system. As a result, the 8 g coin replaced the previous 1/4 oz Panda version. The 2017 issue appeals to both gold investors and collectors due to its high gold purity, annually changing design and the worldwide recognition of the Panda series.
