2012 Year of the Dragon Silver Ten-Coin Set

A new multi-coin colorized set has just been issued by the Perth Mint of Australia expanding on its popular silver lunar series of coins. The 2012 Year of the Dragon Silver Ten-Coin Set is available now from the Perth as part of its Australian Lunar Series II Program.

The set contains coins all struck from one ounce of 99.9% pure silver. Each reverse showcases the same basic dragon image that originally appeared on the Year of the Dragon Silver Bullion Coins first issued by the Perth Mint last year. (A high relief version was released only a month ago.)

Year of the Dragon Ten-Coin Set Designs and Specifications

Lunar coins from the Perth Mint date back to 1999 when the Lunar Series I made its debut. The first strikes of the current Lunar Series II made their inaugural appearance in 2008. Coins in both series feature reverse designs showcasing the creatures of the Chinese zodiac — rat, ox, tiger, rabbit, dragon, snake, horse, goat, monkey, rooster, dog and pig.

2012 is the Year of the Dragon and runs from January 23, 2012 to February 9, 2013. Those born in the Year of the Dragon are said to be strong, self-assured, artistic and loyal.

The ten-coin set released by the Perth Mint as part of the Year of the Dragon all showcase the same image of the mythical creature on their reverse. The dragon curls around the left side of the design with a focus on a ‘pearl of wisdom’ representation on the right. A reverse inscription of "Year of the Dragon" is seen below with the Chinese character for dragon also inscribed.

The coins are differentiated by a coloring treatment applied to the dragon image. Dragons of red, blue, brown, purple, silver, white, yellow, black and gold are seen along with a traditional bullion finish silver dragon.

The obverse of each coin contains the Ian Rank-Broadley effigy of Queen Elizabeth II. Obverse inscriptions include "ELIZABETH II," "AUSTRALIA," "2012," "1 DOLLAR" and "1 oz 999 SILVER."

As indicated by the obverse inscriptions, each coin has a legal tender face value of AUS $1. The 45.60 mm diameter strikes are each composed of one ounce of .999 fine silver and come together in a single presentation case with custom-designed shipper. A numbered certificate of authenticity is also included indicating the extremely limited mintage of just 2,500 sets.

The 2012 Year of the Dragon Silver Ten-Coin Set may be purchased directly from the Perth Mint for AUS $990.00, plus shipping and handling.

Ad Banner to Perth Mint Website for New Coin Releases

 

About the Perth Mint

The Royal Mint of England originally opened the Perth Mint of Australia (http://www.perthmint.com.au/) in 1899 as a branch of the London facility. Its original purpose was to refine gold from nearby deposits in Coolgardie and Kalgoorlie and mint gold sovereigns from it.

It continued in operation as a branch of the Royal Mint until ownership was transferred to the State Government of Western Australia in 1970. Today, the Perth is the official issuer of the Australian Federal Government’s Gold and Silver Bullion Coin Program in addition to producing some of the world’s most unique collectible coins.