Description
Why purchase this 2021 2 oz Silver $5 5 Crowns East Caribbean States Panda Proof?
Two pandas, Tian Tian (“Sweetie”) and Yang Guang (“Sunshine”), arrived at the Edinburgh Zoo in 2011 on a ten year loan. Their arrival ended a 17 year period of Britain being without pandas on display. Their tenure at the zoo comes to an end in 2021, and the Commonwealth Mint is commemorating their return home on this 2 ounce silver Five Crowns Proof Panda-themed issue.
- This coin has two face values, 5 crowns and $5, representing the dollars in the denomination.
- This coin was struck from 2 oz of .999 fine silver at the Commonwealth Mint.
- This coin is part of a mintage of just 2,500 pieces.
- The coin bears the Edinburgh Assay Office’s privy mark.
- This issue was released to mark the tenth anniversary of the arrival of and the end of Tian Tian’s and Yang Guang’s tenure at the Edinburgh Zoo.
- Numismatic Guaranty Corporation (NGC) graded this coin Proof 70.
- NGC certified this piece Ultra Cameo and First Releases.
Striking Pandas Yin-Yang Design by “Rocky” Zhao
Obverse: Like the reverse, the obverse was design by “Rocky” Zhao, who had previously designed Chinese Panda coins. On the obverse is the first ever Queen Elizabeth II numismatic design by a Chinese artist. Zhao shows the monarch in right-side profile. Her effigy is encircled by rim inscriptions, who include her name, “ELIZABETH II,” the name of the issuing territories, “EAST CARIBBEAN STATES,” the two face values of the coin, “$5” and “FIVE SOVEREIGN,” and the date, “2021.”
Reverse: Zhao’s reverse design shows the two pandas at play. They are integrated into a yin-yang design, half of which is a Scottish tartan pattern. The coin’s weight and purity are inscribed on this face.
Impeccable PF70 UC FR
This coin earned Numismatic Guaranty Corporation’s (NGC’s) highest grade, Proof 70, which means that it appears perfect under 5x magnification. It was also credited with having particularly sharp contrasts between heavily frosted devices and deeply mirrored fields by receiving Ultra Cameo certification. Finally, NGC noted that the coin was submitted to them no more than 30 days after its initial release from the mint by certifying it First Releases.
