Peter Anthony:The 1989 50 Yuan .999 fine proof silver Panda is the third 5 oz. silver Panda coin issued. Its mintage is 10,000, a thousand less than the prior year, 1988, but it’s scarcer than that difference implies. 1989 was the last year of the first wave of Panda coin enthusiasm. The waning popularity of the coins is reflected in their lower availability today. The cheerful image of mother Panda and her cub playing is the work of Xiang Li Ming of the Shanghai Mint. The most common grade for this coin is Proof-69 and the average is Proof-68. Two Proof-70 examples exist.