To the OP, I am sorry. I was way out of line & please forgive me. It must have been those Chinese meds, lol. Really, nice Panda.
I just made my first panda purchase through JM. I hope to get them Saturday. I'm not sure I like the idea of not having a silver mark on the new panda's though....
It was a dumb decision on their part. I'm sure the 2016 silver pandas will have either grams or ounces on it !
They didn't make that many of them before 2010 (600k and lower mintage). They are also highly collected, not only in the USA, but also in Asia and Europe.
I believe they capped 2012-2015 silver pandas at 8 million a year but don't quote me on that. This may seem like a lot but it is no where near the 40+ million American eagles made every year. That is why silver pandas will always have a premium. My advice is to get a ms69-ms70 silver panda as soon as it comes out. 2012 pandas go for a lot more than 2014 pandas even though they made the same amount.
I bought 2 Pandas recently. My daughter likes the designs and they are interesting. The graded 2013 was fully bought with eBay bucks and the 2011 partly so. The 2011 looks "prooflike" while the 2013 looks more like a business strike. The 2013 is also showing milkspots and a ring of cloudiness near the rim (photography through the slab makes it look cloudier that it is...the shot of the whole slab is more like the in-hand look). I certainly like the look of the 2011 better. Rob
Do milk spots cost the coin its grade? I would assume that with milk spots it is now less desirable. Of course, i dont know how true that is, just an assumption.
If you peeps are worried about mintages why not grab a 2010 or 20011 Taku around 10,000 to 20,000 minted or the Perth lunar series they go up quite a bit and can be had at AMPEX for just a few dollars more or less then a panda or the Eagle. The Rwanda series also get quite a premium or the RCM wildlife series.