Asia & the Pacific
Pandas, kookaburras and tiny islands with huge coin programs. When it comes to silver, the Pacific punches way above its weight.
Jump to: China · Australia · Niue · Cook Islands · Coin, medal or bar?
China: the Silver Panda
China first issued the Silver Panda in 1983, and the panda design changes every year. The only exception: 2001 and 2002 share the same design. Flip it over and you'll find the Hall of Prayer for Good Harvests at Beijing's Temple of Heaven. The People's Bank of China issues them in a bunch of sizes, all the way up to big multi-ounce proofs.
The collector challenge
Because the design changes every year, a date run of Pandas is a whole zoo of cute. Match your birth year, or chase the same size across as many years as you can.
Lunar silver
The Chinese zodiac has 12 animals, one for each year. Lunar silver bars and rounds are made as new year gifts, so you'll find one for every animal. Born in 2009? That was a Year of the Ox.
Australia: the Kookaburra
The Perth Mint has struck the Australian Kookaburra since 1990, with a new design every year. The one exception is 2015, which brought back the 1990 design for the 25th anniversary. Every Kookaburra is legal tender in Australia.
| Silver | .999 fine |
| Issued since | 1990 |
| Face value | $1 for 1 oz, $2 for 2 oz |
| Mint | The Perth Mint |
Niue: endangered animals in colour
Niue is a tiny Pacific island that has governed itself in free association with New Zealand since 1974. It uses the New Zealand dollar and issues legal-tender coins made for collectors.
Its Endangered Animal Species coins were struck by the Mint of Poland, with the first ones dated 2014. Each one shows an animal at risk in full colour, with a Swarovski crystal set into a little world map that marks where it lives.
| Silver | .999 fine |
| Weight | 17.5 g |
| Diameter | 38.61 mm |
| Finish | coloured proof |
| Face value | $1 |
Build the set
Species in the series include the mountain gorilla, giant panda, red ruffed lemur, Grévy's zebra, hyacinth macaw, blue whale, loggerhead turtle, Siberian tiger, Amur leopard and black rhino. Line them up and you've got a whole wildlife documentary in silver.
The Cook Islands
The Cook Islands have governed themselves in free association with New Zealand since 1965. From the mid-1970s their coins were struck by the Franklin Mint, and the designs went hard on island life. The Mangaia kingfisher, a bird found only on the island of Mangaia, is a favourite.
Tribute coins
The Cook Islands also issue tribute coins that recreate famous designs from other countries, including Canada's legendary 1911 silver dollar. Only a few of the real thing were ever struck, so a tribute is how most collectors get the look. Read the story in Canadian Silver Dollars.
Coin, medal or bar?
Asia and the Pacific turn out all three, so here's the quick way to tell them apart:
| Face value? | Legal tender? | Example | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Coin | yes | yes | Niue $1, Kookaburra $2, Panda 50 Yuan |
| Medal | no | no | commemorative and company medals |
| Bar | no | no | Lunar new year gift bars |
All three can be real silver. The purity mark tells you how much. Check the cheat sheet in Britain & the Commonwealth.
Keep learning
- Britain & the Commonwealth: crowns, the round pound and the Queen's portraits.
- Europe & the Americas: Poland, Croatia, Panama and the Franklin Mint years.
- Is My Canadian Coin Silver?: the Canadian guide that started it all.
Browse our World Coins to see what's in from Asia and the Pacific right now.