Peter Anthony: The image of a grown Panda sitting on its haunches adorns the 1993 5 Yuan 1/20 oz. Large Date gold Panda. It was struck at the Shanghai Mint. Despite a large reported mintage this is a surprisingly hard-to-find coin today. This is partly because so many were used in jewelry. Another attrition factor was the melting pot as there were few collectors for this size Panda when it was new.

There are two major varieties of the 1993 gold Pandas: Large Date and Small Date. While the Large and Small Dates of some 1993 denominations look almost alike this isn’t true of the 5 Yuan. The Large Date is distinctly bigger.

Another characteristic of the 1993 Large Dates is that they were very well-struck. These are among the best looking Pandas of the decade and often produce very high grades. Unconserved 1993 Pandas often have red spots. The place most likely to show wear or rub is the Panda’s head and torso. The fields are also areas for concern. On the Temple of Heaven side the fields, as usual, are susceptible to marks.

The 1993 5 Yuan Large Date gold Panda is part of three NGC Registry sets: "Gold 1/20 Ounce Panda, 1983-Date, Mint State," "Gold 1/20 Ounce Panda, 1983-Date, Mint State (Incl. Varieties)" and "Gold 1/20 Ounce Panda, 1983-Date, Mint State and Proof."