Peter Anthony: The 2003 Panda coins feature an innovative design. Much of the coin features plain matte-finished fields. Front and center a Panda strides toward the viewer from an inner circle of bamboo trees. The contrast between the fields and devices is striking. The bamboo forest is the distinguishing feature between the two major varieties of the 2003 Pandas. In the Mirrored Bamboo variety the forest has a highly reflective luster as do all the leaves.

The 2003 500Y 1 oz. B.U. gold Panda has a total reported mintage of 55,000 for both Frosted and Mirror varieties. Despite the somewhat high mintage it isn’t a common coin and sells for a premium.

The fields on the Panda side of the coin are beautiful but they are also open and unprotected. This makes them quite sensitive to scuffs and dings. This has been a problem for some of the 1 oz. coins graded so far; around two of three are MS-69 or better. It is something to check carefully for in ungraded coins.

The 2003 500 Yuan Mirrored Bamboo gold Panda is part of three NGC Registry sets: "Gold 1 Ounce Panda, 1983-Date, Mint State," "Gold 1 Ounce Panda, 1983-Date, Mint State (Incl. Varieties)" and "Gold 1 Ounce Panda, 1983-Date, Mint State and Proof."