Lunar (coin, Australia)
| Lunar I and II | |
|---|---|
| Metal: | 99.99% Au 99.99% Ag |
| Edge: | corrugated |
| Embossing years: | 1996–2007 Lunar I (gold) 1999–2007 Lunar I (silver) 2008 – today Lunar II |
| front | |
| Motive: | Chinese zodiac motifs |
| back | |
| Motive: | Elizabeth II |
| Designer: | Ian Rank-Broadley (IRB) |
The Australian lunar or lunar calendar is an investment and curant coin that is available in gold and silver in various designs. The motif changes annually.
etymology
The name Lunar comes from English and means moon . The name refers to the Chinese zodiac theme recorded on the back of the coins according to the Chinese lunar calendar .
Means of payment
Formally it is an official means of payment in Australia , although it is not intended as cash and is practically not used as such. The coins have an imprinted face value , but this is well below the material value of the coin. Due to their high degree of purity, the gold coins are relatively soft and not very scratch-resistant , which makes them unsuitable for use as circulation coins .
description
The obverse of the coin features a portrait of the current head of Australia. This has been Queen Elisabeth II since the beginning of production . The top area of the picture is framed by the name of the head of state ("ELIZABETH II") and the word "AUSTRALIA". In the lower area is the picture of the fine weight of the coin (e.g. " 1 ⁄ 10 oz"), the purity of the coin ("9999 Gold" or "9999 Ag"), the year of issue and the face value in Australian dollars ( e.g. "15 dollars") framed. On the back is an annually changing motif of the animal, which represents the Chinese zodiac sign in the respective year. The representation on the coins made of gold is different from that on the coins made of silver. The corresponding Chinese characters for the zodiac and a “P” for the “Perth Mint” stamp are also shown. Since no other metals of a relevant magnitude are alloyed with the gold or silver , the coin has a pure gold or pure silver color. The reverse side of the coin is also available in one or more colors. Since the cycle of the Chinese signs of the zodiac is repeated every twelve years, there are now two series (often called Lunar I and Lunar II).
Production, editions
The coins have been minted by The Perth Mint in East Perth , Australia since 1996 in changing editions.
The Lunar has a relatively high issue premium compared to other bullion coins due to the annually changing motif . The editions are relatively small, so that the Bullion vintages often have collector surcharges.
Gold coin
The gold investment coins minted since 1996 have a fineness of 999.9 / 1000 and the fine weight is 1 ⁄ 20 , 1 ⁄ 10 , 1 ⁄ 4 , 1 ⁄ 2 , 1, 2 or 10 troy ounces (oz) or , depending on the gold denomination 1 or 10 kilograms. Not all denominations were made from the start and not every year. The Total weight equivalent due to the high purity practically the fine weight .
| Denominations | ||
| Fine weight | Face value | Minted since |
|---|---|---|
| 1 ⁄ 20 oz | 5 AUD | 1997 |
| 1 ⁄ 10 oz | 15 AUD | 1997 |
| 1 ⁄ 4 oz | 25 AUD | 1996 |
| 1 ⁄ 2 oz | 50 AUD | 2004 |
| 1 oz | 100 AUD | 1996 |
| 2 oz | 200 AUD | 2000 |
| 10 oz | 1,000 AUD | 2000 |
| 1 kg | 3,000 AUD | 2000 |
| 10 kg | A $ 30,000 | 2006 |
Lunar Series I (Gold)
| Edition | ||||||||||||
| Mouse 1996 | Ox 1997 | Tiger 1998 | Hare 1999 | Dragon 2000 | Snake 2001 | Horse 2002 | Goat 2003 | Monkey 2004 | Hahn 2005 | Dog 2006 | Pig 2007 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 ⁄ 20 oz | 7,405 | 7.131 | 10,427 | 9,642 | 29,325 | 19,738 | 27,338 | 17,892 | 15,898 | 18,220 | 15,737 | 10.308 |
| 1 ⁄ 10 oz | 3,792 | 4,960 | 9,085 | 8,799 | 23,706 | 19,281 | 18,434 | 14,966 | 14,060 | 15,109 | 12,017 | 11,216 |
| 1 ⁄ 4 oz | 1,390 | 2,904 | 5,683 | 5,893 | 20,148 | 8,436 | 10.187 | 8,479 | 7,284 | 6,450 | 6.009 | 6,486 |
| 1 ⁄ 2 oz | Not embossed | Not embossed | Not embossed | Not embossed | Not embossed | Not embossed | Not embossed | Not embossed | 4,228 | 4,506 | 5,767 | 7,694 |
| 1 oz | 16,593 | 13,709 | 16,907 | 18,261 | 30,000 | 30,000 | 30,000 | 16,775 | 16,868 | 19,729 | 26,334 | 18,149 |
| 2 oz | Not embossed | Not embossed | Not embossed | Not embossed | 2,342 | 1,295 | 1,291 | 1,355 | 1,470 | 2.129 | 2,460 | 3,613 |
| 10 oz | Not embossed | Not embossed | Not embossed | Not embossed | 214 | 153 | 191 | 153 | 265 | 240 | 195 | 192 |
| 1 kg | Not embossed | Not embossed | Not embossed | Not embossed | 227 | 156 | 163 | 109 | 195 | 230 | 137 | 114 |
| 10 kg | Not embossed | Not embossed | Not embossed | Not embossed | Not embossed | Not embossed | Not embossed | Not embossed | Not embossed | Not embossed | 10 | 6th |
Lunar Series II (gold)
| Edition | ||||||||||||
| Mouse 2008 | Ox 2009 | Tiger 2010 | Hare 2011 | Dragon 2012 | Snake 2013 | Horse 2014 | Goat 2015 | Monkey 2016 | Hahn 2017 | Dog 2018 | Pig 2019 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 ⁄ 20 oz | 5,262 | 5,971 | 17,552 | 22,412 | 23,322 | 15,598 | 20,879 | 66,693 | 20,147 | 13,404 | Unknown | Unknown |
| 1 ⁄ 10 oz | 5,723 | 10,836 | 22,699 | 21,901 | 33,059 | 23,700 | 34,181 | 43,036 | 27,920 | 26,983 | Unknown | Unknown |
| 1 ⁄ 4 oz | 5,394 | 7,750 | 11,771 | 11.101 | 18,620 | 16,159 | 18,621 | 13,650 | 12,833 | 13,440 | Unknown | Unknown |
| 1 ⁄ 2 oz | 3,328 | 5,054 | 9,781 | 8,885 | 19,370 | 14,681 | 17,839 | 11,964 | 11,947 | 12,283 | Unknown | Unknown |
| 1 oz | 30,000 | 30,000 | 30,000 | 30,000 | 30,000 | 30,000 | 30,000 | 30,000 | 30,000 | 30,000 | 30,000 | Unknown |
| 2 oz | 628 | 1,338 | 5,340 | 4,209 | 5,986 | 6,693 | 4,887 | 3,255 | 4,472 | 3,729 | Unknown | Unknown |
| 10 oz | 128 | 153 | 267 | 641 | 1,087 | 981 | 980 | 733 | 597 | 549 | Unknown | Unknown |
| 1 kg | 55 | 78 | 110 | 153 | 241 | 256 | 263 | 178 | 108 | 124 | Unknown | Unknown |
| 10 kg | Not embossed | Not embossed | 2 | Not embossed | 3 | 11 | Not embossed | Not embossed | Not embossed | Not embossed | Unknown | Unknown |
Silver coin
The fineness of the investment coins in silver is 999.9 / 1000 and there are the denominations 1 ⁄ 2 , 1, 2, 5, 10 troy ounces as well as 1 ⁄ 2 , 1 and 10 kg. Not all denominations were made from the start and not every year. Due to the high degree of purity, the rough weight practically corresponds to the fine weight.
| Denominations | |
| Fine weight | Face value |
|---|---|
| 1 ⁄ 2 oz | 0.5 AUD |
| 1 oz | 1 AUD |
| 2 oz | 2 AUD |
| 5 oz | 8 AUD |
| 10 oz | 10 AUD |
| 1 ⁄ 2 kg | 15 AUD |
| 1 kg | 30 AUD |
| 10 kg | 300 AUD |
Lunar Series I (silver)
| Edition | ||||||||||||
| Hare 1999 | Dragon 2000 | Snake 2001 | Horse 2002 | Sheep 2003 | Monkey 2004 | Hahn 2005 | Dog 2006 | Pig 2007 | Mouse 2008 (2007 *) |
Ox 2009 (2007 *) |
Tiger 2010 (2007 *) |
|
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 ⁄ 2 oz | 16,913 | 52,956 | 30,904 | 42,824 | 51,776 | 52,792 | 37,994 | 39,361 | 32,495 | Not embossed | Not embossed | Not embossed |
| 1 oz | 63,644 | 118,697 | 71,301 | 99,632 | 102.164 | 105,680 | 92,691 | 98,825 | 87.009 | 59,623 | 52,267 | 56,077 |
| 2 oz | 12,869 | 29,110 | 14,062 | 19,359 | 20,466 | 18,124 | 16,292 | 17,106 | 14,180 | 7,221 | 6,465 | 6,520 |
| 5 oz | Not embossed | Not embossed | Not embossed | Not embossed | Not embossed | 3,592 | 5,585 | 5,080 | 3,229 | Not embossed | Not embossed | Not embossed |
| 10 oz | 2,486 | 7,926 | 3,962 | 5,537 | 6,974 | 3,735 | 2,775 | 2,813 | 3,061 | Not embossed | Not embossed | Not embossed |
| 1 ⁄ 2 kg | Not embossed | Not embossed | Not embossed | Not embossed | Not embossed | 1,287 | 1,307 | 785 | 962 | Not embossed | Not embossed | Not embossed |
| 1 kg | 1,983 | 7,805 | 3,013 | 4,338 | 6,931 | 5,095 | 3,818 | 4.145 | 4,838 | 3,344 | 1,877 | 1,888 |
| 10 kg | Not embossed | Not embossed | Not embossed | Not embossed | Not embossed | Not embossed | Not embossed | 78 | 105 | Not embossed | Not embossed | Not embossed |
| * In order to synchronize the silver issue with the gold series (which was started earlier), the issues Maus (2008), Ochse (2009) and Tiger (2010) were issued in addition to the pig. In addition to the Queen, the year 2007 was also stamped on the top of each of these three issues. | ||||||||||||
Lunar Series II (silver)
| Edition | ||||||||||||
| Mouse 2008 | Ox 2009 | Tiger 2010 | Hare 2011 | Dragon 2012 | Snake 2013 | Horse 2014 | Goat 2015 | Monkey 2016 | Rooster
2017 |
Dog 2018 | Pig 2019 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 ⁄ 2 oz | 17.114 | 17,674 | 50,035 | 124,488 | 389.161 | 160,616 | 249.155 | 188,442 | 233,615 | 177.793 | Unknown | Unknown |
| 1 oz | 300,000 | 300,000 | 300,000 | 300,000 | 300,000 | 300,000 | 300,000 | 300,000 | 300,000 | 300,000 | Unknown | Unknown |
| 2 oz | 9.126 | 18,570 | 63.005 | 99,494 | 118,738 | 56,133 | 112,801 | 61,843 | 34,368 | 51,680 | Unknown | Unknown |
| 5 oz | 3,005 | 4,720 | 15,553 | 8,030 | 31,664 | 20,552 | 31,232 | 16,920 | 23,486 | 19,443 | Unknown | Unknown |
| 10 oz | 3,718 | 9,020 | 16,727 | 12,563 | 47,390 | 28,213 | 29,983 | 26,932 | 12,185 | 20,869 | Unknown | Unknown |
| 1 ⁄ 2 kg | 739 | 1,535 | 5,058 | Not embossed | Not embossed | Not embossed | Not embossed | Not embossed | Not embossed | Not embossed | Unknown | Unknown |
| 1 kg | 10.308 | 17,352 | 35,412 | 47.210 | 54,769 | 32,083 | 39,100 | 25,536 | 20,446 | 15,757 | Unknown | Unknown |
| 10 kg | 35 | 46 | 173 | 173 | 234 | 200 | 194 | 150 | 150 | 100 | Unknown | Unknown |
Web links
- Official Website of the Perth Mint Australia (Mint )
- Description Lunar Series II
- Description Lunar Series I
- Supplement to description of Lunar Series I
Individual evidence
- ↑ The Australian Lunar Gold Bullion Coin (Series One) 1996 - 2007. (PDF) In: perthmint.com.au. The Perth Mint Australia, accessed August 15, 2016 .
- ↑ The Australian Lunar Gold Bullion Coin (Series Two) 2008 - 2016. (PDF) In: perthmint.com.au. The Perth Mint Australia, accessed August 15, 2016 .
- ↑ The Australian Lunar Silver Bullion Coin (Series One) 1999 - 2010. (PDF) In: perthmint.com.au. The Perth Mint Australia, accessed August 15, 2016 .
- ↑ The Australian Lunar Silver Bullion Coin (Series Two) 2008 - 2016. (PDF) In: perthmint.com.au. The Perth Mint Australia, accessed August 15, 2016 .