2021 Lunar Year of the Ox

Lunar Series

The Australian Lunar Silver Bullion Coin (Series Two), minted by the Perth Mint from 2008 to 2019, is
a 12-coin series celebrating the animals of the Chinese zodiac. Each coin features a different animal and is produced in various sizes, making it popular with both collectors and investors.

Features of the series
- Timeframe: The series began in 2008 with the Year of the Mouse and concluded in 2019 with the Year of the Pig.
- Design:
-- Obverse: Features the effigy of Queen Elizabeth II by Ian Rank-Broadley, along with the coin's year, weight, purity, and monetary denomination.
-- Reverse: Showcases a new design of the corresponding Chinese zodiac animal each year, along with the Chinese character for that animal and the Perth Mint's "P" mintmark.

Silver purity:
-- 2008–2017: Coins were minted from .999 pure silver.
-- 2018–2019: The purity was increased to .9999 fine silver, a change reflected in the coin's inscription.

Mintage and availability:
- Unlimited mintage: Most sizes, including the 1/2 oz, 2 oz, 5 oz, 10 oz, and 1-kilogram coins, had an unlimited mintage, meaning production continued until the next year's design was ready.
- Limited mintage: The 1 oz coins had a maximum mintage of 300,000.

Range of sizes: The series offered coins in multiple sizes to appeal to a broad market.
Standard sizes: 1/2 oz, 1 oz, 2 oz, 5 oz, 10 oz, and 1 kg.
Occasional sizes: A 10 kg coin was also issued in some years, often with a very low mintage of just 100 coins.
Early release sizes: For the first three years (2008–2010), a 1/2 kg coin was also minted.