1997 5 Yuan 1/20 oz Gold Panda Coin - Small Date [BU] OMP

The 1997 5 Yuan 1/20 oz. Small Date gold Panda was struck at the Shanghai Mint. The 1997 5 Yuan coins have an announced mintage of 54,853 but only a small fraction of these coins have apparently survived. 1997 was the year of the transfer of Hong Kong from British to Chinese rule as well as the Asian Financial Crisis. There was speculation and hoarding and then panic and selling. By mid-year Asian demand for Pandas had plummeted. The effects were not as severe elsewhere but the 1997 gold Pandas are still among the scarcer dates. This includes the 5 Yuan coins.