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2012 Year of the Dragon High Relief Proof Silver Coin
March 1, 2012 by Darrin Lee Unser · 2 Comments
Issued as the newest release of the Australian Lunar Series II from the Perth Mint of Australia is the 2012 Year of the Dragon High Relief Proof Silver Coin.
Image of the 2012 Year of the Dragon High Relief Proof Silver Coin
This new strike contains the same reverse image of a dragon as seen on other recent Perth Lunar coins, however it marks the first time it has been struck on the concave surfaces of a high relief proof silver coin.
2012 represents the Year of the Dragon in the Chinese Lunar Calendar. Those born in the year are believed to be brave, passionate, confident and independent. Dragons represent just one of twelve creatures seen in the calendar on a rotating basis which also includes Rat, Ox, Tiger, Rabbit, Snake, Horse, Goat, Monkey, Rooster, Dog, and Pig.
High Relief Proof Silver Coin Designs and Specifications
As previously noted, the reverse of the coin depicts a high relief likeness of a mythical dragon minted on the concave surface. The creature is joined on the reverse by a symbolic ‘pearl of wisdom’ as well as the inscription of "Year of the Dragon." Also shown on the reverse is the Chinese character for ‘dragon’ and the Perth Mint’s historic ‘P’ mintmark.
Struck on the concave obverse is Ian Rank-Broadley’s effigy of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II. Obverse inscriptions include "ELIZABETH II," "AUSTRALIA," "2012," "1 DOLLAR" and "1 OZ 999 SILVER."
The coins are each composed of one ounce of .999 fine silver and feature a diameter of 32.60 mm. As the coin’s feature a high relief design, the thickness is much greater than a typical one ounce coin and comes in at 6.00 mm.
The Perth issues each of the Dragon Coins as legal tender of Australia under the Australian Currency Act of 1965 with a face value of one dollar. The silver coins are housed in a presentation case and ship in a custom-designed shipper along with a numbered certificate of authenticity indicating the limited 7,500 mintage.
Order Details
The Perth Mint has set the maximum mintage for the Year of the Dragon High Relief Proof Silver Coin at just 7,500. They are available to order from around the world at The Perth Mint website for a price of AUS $110.00.
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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.
The 2012 HR Dragon sold out in less than one day.
I was waiting for 90 minutes for Perth Mint to process my order, even though I placed it only five minutes after the coin was released. Anyhow my Dragon is on the way.