Australian Lunar Silver 2010 Year of the Tiger Coins

Few objects relating to man can be traced back millennia, but the Chinese Lunar Calendar is one such example. Fine tuned through the years, the calendar has been linked to animals as a mnemonic aid in remembering the twelve cycles. The year 2010 is to be the Year of the Tiger. In recognition of this, The Perth Mint of Australia has released a collection of tiger silver coins.

The Australian Lunar Silver Series II 2010 Year of the Tiger coins feature a unique collection ranging from a standard bullion coin to a gemstone enhanced edition, with several in between.

Each silver tiger coin is struck from one ounce of 99.9% pure silver and has a face value of 1 dollar except for the gemstone Tiger which contains 1 kilo of silver with a face value of 30 dollars. All versions of the tiger coin contain Ian Rank-Broadley’s portrait of Queen Elizabeth II of England on its obverse.

The reverse of each coin contains an image of a lying tiger, the largest of the ‘Big Cats.’ The Chinese character for ‘Tiger’ is seen to the left of its face with the inscription ‘Year of the Tiger’ placed below it.

Perhaps the most popular version of this Lunar coin will feature the tiger in full color with each stripe and hue giving realism to the magnificence of the cat. Limited to worldwide mintage of 170,000, the colored coin can be purchased straight from the Perth Mint for $68.18 AUS.

A gilded tiger edition is also available from the Perth for those wanting that touch of gold. The body of the lying creature is highlighted with 24-karat gold and can be purchased from the Perth starting at $69.09 AUS with a maximum mintage of 50,000.

For those who really like the Year of the Tiger Coin, the Mint has put together a four coin set containing a colorized tiger, gilded tiger and the tiger silver bullion and proof versions. All four of the coins come in a special red and black display case with a mintage cap of 1,500 sets. It is available now for $254.55 AUS.

Finally, as the Pièce de résistance, the Perth Mint has created a Gemstone Tiger. Struck from 1 kilo of silver, the cat shown in full color with a golden topaz gemstone eye. This unique coin is limited to only 5,000 and has an issue price of $1,450 AUS.

All coins ship a certificate of authenticity, and are available from The Perth Mint Web site.

Year of the Tiger Silver Coins Images

About the Perth Mint

The Perth Mint, wholly-owned by the State Government of Western Australia, is the official issuer of the Australian Federal Government’s Gold and Silver Bullion Coin Program. The Mint opened in 1899 in response to the discovery of rich gold deposits in Coolgardie and Kalgoorlie. It was Australia’s third branch of Britain’s Royal Mint – the others being the Sydney Mint and the Melbourne Mint (both closed).

The Perth Mint remained under Britain’s jurisdiction until 1 July 1970, when ownership transferred to the State Government of Western Australia.

In 2003, The Perth Mint officially opened an 8,400 square metre state-of-the-art manufacturing facility next door to its original limestone building. Dominating the Mint’s heritage precinct, these two important buildings are powerful symbols of more than 100 years of minting excellence in Western Australia.