Peter Anthony: Among the four gold Pandas released in 1982 the 1/10 oz. coin has the highest mintage of all. The beautiful design by Shanghai artist Chen Jian made this a popular coin in the jewelry trade until rising prices made it too valuable to dangle from chains. To this day the 1/10 oz. coin retains a significant numismatic premium, especially in MS-69.
Although there is no denomination, the China Mint has always contended that this is a coin, not a medal. Most numismatists agree with that view today. It is not as difficult to find an MS-69 of this gold Panda as it is the most prevalent grade. One potential problem is that the sealed plastic pouch contains PVC and three decades has provided plenty of time to impair a coin.
The 1982 1/10 oz. gold Panda is part of three NGC Registry sets: "Gold 1/10 Ounce Panda, 1982-Date, Mint State", "Gold 1/10 Ounce Panda, 1982-Date, Mint State (Incl. Varieties)" and "Gold 1/10 Ounce Panda, 1982-Date, Mint State and Proof."