Peter Anthony:The 1998 5 Yuan colorized silver Panda is the second ½ oz. silver proof in the series.The colors were applied through a screening process and not painted on. With magnification the screen is visible as a series of colored dots. The very charming Panda image on the 1998 proof appears on no other coin except the 1998 1 oz. proof silver Panda. Not surprisingly, the 1998 ½ oz. and 1 oz. colorized silver Pandas are sometimes sold together as a pair. The Temple of Heaven on the obverse is also a slightly different shape than any found on the non-colorized Pandas.

The colorized Pandas were not minted in China but rather in Switzerland and are the only official Pandas to be struck in Europe. The authorized mintage of the 1998 5 Yuan proof is 100,000 but the coin is nowhere near as common as the mintage would suggest.

In the NGC Registry the 5 Yuan silver proof Panda coin is part of two sets: “Silver 5Y Panda, 1993-1998, Mint State and Proof” and the “Silver 5Y Panda, 1993-1998, Mint State and Proof (Incl. Varieties).”