Another well written article by the other Panda expert, Badon. Why You Should Collect (or Invest) in Gold Panda Fractional BUs http://www.livebusinesschat.com/smf/index.php?topic=4656.0 "I found it very interesting that several weeks ago Panda America sold all of their gold panda BU's from 1990 thru 2004, both ungraded and graded. I understand this purchase was made by one investor. While this sale occurred about 5, maybe 6 weeks ago, it is more interesting that since then PA has not replenished any of their inventory of coins in this time block...Additionally I have noticed that inventory is just not available in the US with other dealers, and as Peter mentioned in his last pricepedia, pricing for many coins are not available in China...." "...if you think of the BU's as just an investment in bullion, you are sadly mistaken, as these coins are much rarer than many of their silver counterparts, but receive no recognition..."
The reason 1/2 oz Gold Pandas have become very expensive: Chinese people collect/gift Gold Pandas in yearly sets. Almost always, except for 2002, the most rare coin in the set is the 1/2 oz. It is the most difficult coin to get to complete a set.