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

The 1997 5 Yuan Gold Panda Small Date was struck at the Shanghai Mint during one of the most eventful years in modern Chinese history — the transfer of Hong Kong and the onset of the Asian Financial Crisis. Speculation gave way to panic selling, and by mid-year demand for Pandas had plummeted across Asia. With an announced mintage of 54,853 and only a small fraction believed to have survived, the 1997 5 Yuan is among the scarcer dates in the series.

The Chinese Gold Panda programme launched in 1982 and quickly became one of the world's most collected bullion coin series, celebrated for its annually changing reverse designs. Each coin is struck in 24-carat gold and issued as legal tender by the People's Republic of China.