Peter Anthony:The 1987 50 Yuan .999 fine proof silver Panda is the sister coin to the 1 oz. silver Panda of the same date. They both feature an appealing design of a young Panda clinging to a tree branch. The two coins were originally sold as a set in a beautiful wooden box. This set was issued to mark the fifth anniversary of the introduction of Panda coins. It was released near the peak of a wave of enthusiasm for Panda coins and quite a few people bought multiples as investments. The 5 oz. coin was also sold as a single boxed coin. Mintage was 11,000 but this coin is much scarcer in high grade than that number implies. In later years quantities of these coins were sold as bulk lots and mishandled. Only around 5% of the mintage has been graded and, in my opinion, much of the remaining ungraded coins are in too poor shape to ever grade.

The 1987 50 Yuan silver Panda is part of the NGC Registry set Silver 50Y (5 Ounce) Panda, 1987-Date, Proof