Medals celebrate Sino-Germany friendship and two pandas going to the Berlin Zoo

A pair of Chinese pandas — “Meng Meng” (梦梦) (a four-year-old female) and “Jiao Qing” (娇庆) (a seven-year-old male) — have been unveiled at the Berlin Zoo’s new panda pavilion. The pavilion cost nine million euros and is a very impressive facility. The new panda area opened to the public in early July.

A ceremony to mark the transfer of the pandas to the zoo was attended by Chinese President Xi Jinping and German Chancellor Angela Merkel and other important dignitaries. The ceremony marks the deepening friendship between the People’s Republic of China and the Federal Republic of Germany, and also honors the 45th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries.

Champion Leilo Co., working with Künker Auction Co. and Staatliche Münze Berlin, decided to release commemorative medals to celebrate this marvelous event.

With the Chinese Embassy’s support, the Chinese Ministry of Culture approved the use of the official logo of the 45th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between the People’s Republic of China and the Federal Republic of Germany in production of the medals. The medals were created by two top-notch designers, Mr. Yu Min and Mr. Heinz Hoyer.

Mr. Yu Min has designed or engraved over 100 People’s Republic of China coins and more than 40 Panda coins in his career, has attained great success in China and is recognized worldwide as a talented engraver. Earlier this year, Mr. Yu won the Krause Publications’ Lifetime Achievement in Coin Design award, aka the ‘Oscar’ of coin awards, at the Krause ceremonies in 2017 — the first Asian to receive this award.

Mr. Heinz Hoyer won a Lifetime Achievement in Coin Design in 2016. Mr. Hoyer has designed or engraved over 20 coins for the Federal Republic of Germany and Democratic Republic of Germany, including the current one and two euro coins, whose artistic achievement is beyond dispute.

There are two versions of the medal designed by Mr. Yu Min. One is made out of brass, and the other 1 oz. of 0.999 fine silver. The logo of the 45th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between the People’s Republic of China and the Federal Republic of Germany is placed in the center of the obverse, with the Brandenburg Gate and the Great Wall in the background and “Sino-German Friendship” in English at the bottom. The reverse is a German bear welcoming two panda bears with a background of Chinese bamboo and “Chinesisch-Deutsche Freundschaft” at the bottom and “中德友好” at the top. Yu Min’s version will be produced by one of the leading private mints in China.

The version designed by Mr. Heinz Hoyer will also be minted in brass with a silver plate and a 1 oz. 0.999 fine silver version. These both share the same obverse with Mr. Yu’s version. The reverse is a Berlin bear with flowers welcoming two panda bears with city landmarks of Berlin in the background and “Sino-German Friendship” in English, Chinese and German. Heinz Hoyer’s version will be produced by Germany’s oldest mint, Staatliche Münze Berlin (the Berlin Mint), which has been in operation since 1280.

A first strike ceremony was recently held at the Berlin Mint with representatives and experts in the industry from China and Germany.

This is also a crucial year for trade relations between China and Germany. In 2016, for the first time, China has become Germany's most important trading partner. Their bilateral trade amounted to US$151.29 billion, accounting for more than one-third of China’s trade with the EU. Last year, China’s investment in Germany reached US$2.945 billion, which had increased by 258.6% compared to the previous year, while Germany expanded 392 investment projects in China, with an overall total of 9,394 projects. Combining German technology and efficiency with the Chinese market is key to Sino-German economic cooperation. With the rapid growth in Sino-German trade and investment and high-level collaboration on policy, culture and science, there is great potential to be unlocked.

Mr. Yu Min’s version will have mintage of 1,500 pieces in brass and 3,000 pieces in silver, Mr. Hoyer’s version will have mintage of 1,000 pieces in brass and 3,000 in silver. They will be put in presentation boxes for distribution. Mr. Yu Min said the medal carries historical meaning for both China and Germany. Elegant and special, designed by the world’s best craftsmen, its value is beyond doubt. It is definitely a great item for a collection, investment or gift.

For more information, please contact Lindsey Lee at Linz-yixin@yandex.com.

This is a guest article. The thoughts and opinions in the piece are those of their author and are not necessarily the thoughts of the Certified Collectibles Group.