Only a couple more sleeps till I'm back in Sydney, after a wonderful stay in Shanghai; So after all the excitement I had with Gold 2010 Pandas, and Silver 2011 Pandas, I thought I'd bite the bullet and go for a "Limited Edition 2011 Gold Panda Pack". http://forums.silverstackers.com/topic-9276-gold-panda-monium.html <== Writeup on the incredibly affordable 1/4oz Gold Panda 2010 http://forums.silverstackers.com/topic-9307-silver-panda-monium-1oz-2011-silver-pandas.html <== Writeup on the incredibly expensive 2010 and 2011 Silver Pandas I had been holding off getting the "Limited Edition 2011 Gold Panda Pack" predominantly because the 1/4oz Gold Pandas 2010 were still the best value for money (in my opinion). The 1/4oz 2010 Roos retail for $441 in Sydney, but I was getting these rarer 1/4oz 2010 Pandas for cheaper than $430... BARGAIN! But today, I gave in, and got myself one of these Limited Edition 2011 Gold Panda Packs. You can also get these BARGAIN price endangered 2010 Gold Pandas for less than the retail price of an equivalent Gold Roo here (only $420each if you get more than 5): http://forums.silverstackers.com/topic-9263-syd-trade-sell-1-4oz-gold-pandas-2010-low-price.html Or, one of the stacker sponsors is selling a slabbed version for over $900: http://forums.silverstackers.com/topic-9422-for-sale-trade-pcgs-ms-69-1-2-oz-gold-panda.html What's my motivation in selling these 2010 Gold Pandas so cheap? I'm passionate about these Pandas. These are my favorite coins. I hope they will be your favorite coins too! I'm blessed, I get to travel a lot, so if I can share some of these rare coins with others, I'm happy. I make a small profit on the top also (it makes the "xiao long bao" more affordable) [I'm after the 2010 Israeli Gold Jonah coin if anyone has a spare of these] Without a doubt, all Gold Pandas in China are generally well priced, considering their: 1. Limited mintages - some varieties in the 2011 series have less than 200,000 available. Which makes it incredibly rare considering that China alone has more millionaires than that, not even including their middle class. 2. Investment advantages - PandaCollector's Panda Price Index shows, even when the price of gold or silver drops, the price of Pandas stay the same or increase! (I've seen this with my own eyes - amazing - I was in Shanghai when spot silver dropped like a rock) 3. Worldwide recognition - There hasn't been a country I've been to that hasn't recognized the Chinese Gold Pandas (perhaps that merely shows I haven't been to enough countries). But in my recent travels across Asia, the USA, Oceania and the Middle-East - some people didn't know what a Kookaburra was, but everyone knew what a silver/gold Panda coin was (but most at least knew what a Koala was... go the drop bears!) 4. Stunning annual designs - I especially like the designs since 2005, with 2010 being my favorite, but all the recent years are exceptional artworks. 5. Ease of liquidity - I haven't had any issue getting offers for these Panda's (silver or gold) in any of the nations I've visited. But the silver Kooks... they were kinda lonely. ASE's and Maples were definitely more recognized that the Kooks. But Pandas as you would expect commanded the highest premium. But surprisingly, the "Limited Edition 2011 Gold Panda Pack" wasn't as cost-effective as the 1/4oz 2010 Gold Pandas. Why? Well, I think it was probably the 1oz coin Panda that was to blame. The "Limited Edition 2011 Gold Panda Pack" comes with a 1oz, 1/2oz, 1/4oz, 1/10oz and 1/20oz coin - with a maximum mintage of 200,000 (but in reality is considerably less, because people will divide up the set to sell individual coins). Each coin is limited to only 200,000 runs each, except the 1oz which has a mintage of 300,000. Even though the 1oz 2011 has a higher mintage, it also has a higher demand, thus driving up the entire price of the Value Pack (Limited Edition 2011 Gold Panda Pack). The Value Pack costs about $3500AUD (1.9oz Au), and is obtainable at most banks in China (E.g. The Bank of China, China Construction Bank, Agricultural Bank, etc) and some gold shops around Shanghai (E.g. near the Westin). Here are the pics of what to expect: (please forgive the poor resolution of some pics, I'm only using a small digital camera - a Canon Ixus, and I didn't want to take the coins out of their satchels) All wrapped up: [imgz=http://forums.silverstackers.com/uploads/675_img_0330s.jpg][/imgz] Out of the wrapping: A nice faux leather box that says "Issued by the Peoples Bank of China" [imgz=http://forums.silverstackers.com/uploads/675_img_0293s.jpg][/imgz] China Gold Logo: Which of course is a Panda [imgz=http://forums.silverstackers.com/uploads/675_img_0295s.jpg][/imgz] Slip of Paper: Showing the mintages of the various coins (in English and Mandarin) [imgz=http://forums.silverstackers.com/uploads/675_img_0328s.jpg][/imgz] The Gold: So we see that even when it is sold from proper channels, they do not remove the original factory satchel. So unless you are getting a slabbed panda, I always advise getting a panda (and keeping the panda) in its original factory satchel (though I know some wives find this hard to do). [imgz=http://forums.silverstackers.com/uploads/675_img_0300s.jpg][/imgz] The Option: Fortunately for those that do like to finger their physical round gold bullion, the Value Set does come with the proper airtight cases. [imgz=http://forums.silverstackers.com/uploads/675_img_0301s.jpg][/imgz] 1oz Coin: Mintage 300,000 [imgz=http://forums.silverstackers.com/uploads/675_img_0321s.jpg][/imgz] 1/2oz Coin: Mintage 200,000 [imgz=http://forums.silverstackers.com/uploads/675_img_0323s.jpg][/imgz] 1/4oz Coin: Mintage 200,000 [imgz=http://forums.silverstackers.com/uploads/675_img_0324s.jpg][/imgz] 1/10oz Coin: Mintage 200,000 [imgz=http://forums.silverstackers.com/uploads/675_img_0326s.jpg][/imgz] 1/20oz Coin: Mintage 200,000 [imgz=http://forums.silverstackers.com/uploads/675_img_0327s.jpg][/imgz] At present I only have a single set that is available for sale: $3200 [which works out to be $1684/oz] Which is a bargain. PM me if you want it. http://forums.silverstackers.com/message-127164.html#p127164 I hope you found this writeup interesting Thanks, Chris.
