Peter Anthony: The 1990 10 Yuan 1/10 oz. gold Proof was released as part of a 5-coin all gold proof set that included a plush wooden box and a certificate of authenticity. It has a mintage of 5,000. 1990 is a transitional year for Panda coins. The mania of the eighties had ended but planned mintages were only slowly reduced to reflect that new reality. The 5,000 sets exceeded the immediate market demand so that after a while these coins traded at near par with the B.U. 1990 gold Pandas.

One consequence of this is that a low percentage of the 10 Yuan proofs have been graded as the coin didn’t have a value that justified the fees. Of those that were graded most were done as part of complete sets. The coins are infrequently available outside of complete sets. The most common grade of those that are certified is Proof-69. The coins sometimes pick up rub on the bear’s forehead so this is an area worth examining closely. Red spots are a particular problem for this date but may be removed in consultation with NCS.

The 1990 1/10 oz. proof gold Panda is part of two NGC Registry sets: "Gold 1/10 Ounce Panda, 1983-Date, Mint State and Proof," and “Gold 1/10 Ounce Panda, 1986-1994, Proof.”