I used to collect stamps as a kid. The stamps came out in series. It was every child's ambition to have a complete series. I think adult collectors have that too.
I've now taken up Silvergoldstacking. Some coins also come out with a different image every year. These are series. I have to have them complete!
Chinese pandas. There are many reasons not to collect these coins. They don't weigh an ounce, but 30 grams. And by buying them, I'm supporting the Chinese Communist government. But these pandas are so cute!
Since 2019, the coins depict the life of one particular panda. I didn't buy the 2019 coin though. The dealer wants a 100% premium on top of the silver price. It seems too much. But if the silver price drops or I'm ever in a nostalgic mood, maybe I'll buy it.
It is possible to interpret the life story of the panda according to the depiction:
2019 Birth
2020 A tiny panda grows up
2021 Under the supervision of his mother, he learns everything a panda needs to know and learn.
2022 The panda plays with his panda friends. He is a social creature. Here he is frolicking in the snow.
2023 Our panda is probably a female. (We'll know in 2024.) She's starting to make friends with one male panda in particular. (I've done some studying. A panda reaches sexual maturity between 4 - 8 years of age. What I'm writing about is possible.)
2024 Our panda gave birth to a cub. Pandas are pregnant for 45 - 200 days. Depending on the season and their diet.
I don't actually know this story. I get it from coins. I've studied that a panda lives 10 to 20 years in the wild. In captivity, they live longer. The record holder lived to be 38.
So I hope I have something to look forward to. Our panda could be around longer than me. (I'm 57 years old.) I'm starting to relate to her as a pet. Does she have a name?
I think if something happened to the panda, the Chinese Communist government would not admit it and would use a surrogate. But I'll never know.
Sometimes I go on hiatus for weeks, sometimes I write every day. I write according to my mood and if I have an idea.
Thank you for reading, thank you for any support.
