Numismatic Guaranty Corporation (NGC) recently has released some information regarding 2002 Gold Panda coin frosted and Mirrored varieties. This variety is known for all five gold denominations (¥20, ¥50, ¥100, ¥200, and ¥500) Pandas.
The difference is seen just below the two branches of .999 along the rim. On the mirrored variety, the four branches have a mirrored surface. NGC will denote this as MIRRORED BRANCHES. For the FROSTED BRANCHES, the branches are frosted on the other variety and blend into the background of the coin.
Due to the overwhelming popularity of modern Chinese coins, there has been steady increase and interest in varieties.
NGC is at the forefront of actively attributing and listing new varieties of modern Chinese coins. To date, NGC recognizes and attributes more than 90 varieties, including small and large dates/mintmarks, frosted and mirrored devices, doubled dies, etc.
In order for a variety to be considered for a listing by NGC it must meet two criteria. First, it must be a significant (easily distinguishable) die variation. Late die states, over-polished dies and other minor die anomalies will not be considered. Second, the coin must be physically verified by NGC in person (photos, although useful, will not be accepted as evidence of a distinct variety).
NGC currently attributes all small and large date Pandas as well as certain other varieties at no additional fee. Please refer to the VarietyPlus® page on the NGC website for helpful attribution information and additional details.
Source: NGC
