The famous Lunar 2 gold coins depict the zodiac signs of the lunisolar Chinese calendar. With a fineness of 999.9/1000 the Lunar 2 Gold coins are minted in a variety of different weights. The 1 oz Lunar II Gold coins are minted each year with a limited edition of 30,000 pieces.

Weights and Alloys

The Lunar II gold coins produced by the Perth Mint have 24 karat with a fineness of 999.9/1000. Made of pure gold, they don’t have any alloying constituents such as copper or silver. Because gold is very soft, the coins have a low scratch resistance and should therefore remain in their original packaging. Unlike other investment gold coins, the Lunar Series II are minted with a wider range of weights, but not all fractional sizes are minted with every annual edition of the series. In general, the following weights are published every year: 2 oz, 1 oz, ½ oz, 1/4 oz, 1/10 oz and 1/20 oz. 

Weight Nominal Value

10 Kg         30.000 AUD

1 Kg         3.000 AUD

10 oz         1.000 AUD

2 oz         200 AUD

1 oz         100 AUD

1/2 oz         50 AUD

1/4 oz         25 AUD

1/10 oz         15 AUD

1/20 oz         5 AUD

History of Lunar 2

The Perth Mint is one of the most successful mints in the world. In operation since 1899, the Perth Mint provides the most diverse precious metal product portfolio compared to other mints. In order to sell Australia mined precious metals, they must be minted into bars or coins. Formerly Sovereign gold coins were produced by the Perth Mint for this purpose. 

For investors, gold coins and gold bars have become popular again. Since the 1970s most countries have again gradually permitted the ownership of gold. The success of the Krugerrand, which was introduced in 1967, quickly turned into the market leader for investment gold coins. Around 20 years later countries and mints around the world introduced their own bullion coins to the market and took market share from the Krugerrand. 

In 1986 the Perth Mint introduced the famous Australian Nugget / Kangaroo Gold Coin series and in 1996 minted the successful Australian Lunar series I. The Lunar 1 series was the second Australian gold bullion coin to be launched on the world bullion market.  

Designed for 12 years due to the 12 zodiac signs, the Lunar I series was coined from 1996-2007 and had great success. In order to meet the demand for the Lunar Series the Lunar II was introduced in 2008, which has until today been even more successful.

Zodiac Signs and Annual Editions

The Lunar II began in 2008 with the zodiac sign of the "Mouse" and ends in 2019 with the zodiac sign of the "Pig". The origin of the zodiac signs in the lunisolar calendar (sun-moon calendar) have been, according to legend, selected by Buddha himself.

Year Motif

2008 Mouse

2009 Ox

2010 Tiger

2011 Rabbit

2012 Dragon

2013 Snake

2014 Horse

2015 Goat

2016       Monkey

2017 Rooster

2018 Dog

2019 Pig

Appearance of Lunar II

The central theme of the Lunar II gold coins series are the motives of the Chinese zodiac signs, which are also depicted on the front. The gold coin has an edge bar and a rippled edge. The edge bar improves stability and stackability of the Lunar II. In addition the edge bar protects the design and the rippled edge is primarily there to prevent tampering. 

Front

The theme of the Lunar II gold series changes annually to correspond to the respective animal of the Chinese calendar. The design shows the animal and a part of the natural habitat. Apart from these two aspects the artists have creative freedom, as it was the case with the dragon in 2012. Below the motif is always the name of the animal with the following opening words  "Year of the ...." depicted. In addition to the inscription “Year of the…” in the Arabic alphabet the Chinese characters of the animal are also depicted. The Mint Mark "P" which stands for Perth Mint and an ornamental circle which runs along the edge rod finishes the artwork of the front.

Back

The back provides all the relevant data of the Lunar 2 coin which are are fine weight, fineness, year of issue, denomination, name of the current ruler of the United Kingdom and the country of origin. Since 2008 the image of "Queen Elizabeth II" is pictured  with a diadem (crown) on the head. 

Advantages of Lunar II and Gold Coins

There is no VAT to be paid on recognised investment gold coins in Europe, which is one of the most important advantages of gold coins. Furthermore, gold has been in high demand since the 1960s and has increased in price from $35 per ounce to over $1,000 today. This long term gold price rise has been due to inflation, but nonetheless it can be said that gold preserves capital. 

With the Lunar II you receive a very nice gold coin, with a lovely design and a beautiful golden colour, as it is pure gold. The Lunar 2 does not corrode and therefore retains its colour for years, unlike the Krugerrand.  

Due to the copper content, the Krugerrand tarnishes over time. A small disadvantage of the Lunar II series is the slightly higher premium due to a limited mintage of the 1 oz version and also the long transportation route.

Summarized Advantages & Disadvantages

• recognised worldwide

• very nice colour

• does not corrode

• renowned mint

• slightly higher premium

• low scratch resistance

Tips on Buying Lunar II Gold Coins

One of the most important tips is of course to buy Lunar 2 gold coins at a low gold price. The higher weight Lunar II gold coins, such as the  2 oz and 1 oz, carry a lower premium compared to 1/10 oz coins. The premium on smaller fractional weight coins can be as high as 15% or more. Another tip is that current year Lunar II gold coins usually have a lower premium, compared to previous editions.

Perth Mint

The Australian Perth Mint was founded in 1896 and is one of the most prestigious mints in the world. It is the manufacturer of the largest gold coin in the world, the "Australian Kangaroo". The gold coin was produced in 2011 and has a weight of about 1 ton with a diameter of about 70 cm. With the production of the 1 ton gold Kangaroo, the Perth Mint now holds the record for minting the largest coin. The record was previously held by the Canadian Mint’s "Maple Leaf" with a total weight of approximately 100 Kg. The Perth Mint offers a large portfolio of investment coins and investment bars, which is unmatched by other mints.

Perth Mint Bullion Gold Coins

+ Lunar II

+ Australian Nugget/Kangaroo

Perth Mint Silver Coins

+ Lunar II

+ Koala

+ Kookaburra

Investment Gold Bars

5 g

10 g

20 g

1 oz (31.103 g)

50 g

100 g

10 oz (311 g)

Details

Country: Australia

Manufacturer: Royal Perth Mint

Embossing: 1996

Karat: 24 K

Fineness: 999.9 / 1000

Gold: 99.99%

Scratch resistance: poor