Peter Anthony: From 1982–2000 all 1/10 oz. Pandas were denominated with 10 Yuan. The 2001 50Y 1/10 oz. B.U. gold Panda is part of the first year of new, higher denominations for the series. It features a very medal-like rimless design on the Panda side. This contributes to the feeling that the bamboo forest stretches on far beyond the coin’s edge.

2001 was a year in which gold’s price touched its modern lows below $300/oz. There were other negatives affecting demand for gold Pandas: the effects of the Asian Crisis lingered as well as a lack of excitement after the millennium hoopla the year before. The 50Y 1/10 oz. B.U. gold Panda has an announced mintage of 50,000 but it is not a common coin today.

This coin can suffer from red spots but aside from that it usually grades well; more than 90% of graded coins are MS-69 or MS-70. In fact, this is the first year of 1/10 oz. Panda which has quite a few MS-70 coins. Wear or rub, if present, is usually seen on the head or body of the bear.

The 2001 50 Yuan gold Panda is part of three NGC Registry sets: "Gold 1/10 Ounce Panda, 1983-Date, Mint State," "Gold 1/10 Ounce Panda, 1983-Date, Mint State (Incl. Varieties)" and "Gold 1/10 Ounce Panda, 1983-Date, Mint State and Proof."