The Lunar Series I collection of silver bullion coins from the Perth Mint of Australia launched in 1996 and featured a unique overlap with its successor, the Lunar Series II collection. The coins in both series started with the Year of the Rat, but the Perth Mint released two Year of the Rat coins in 2008. One of the coins was the new Lunar Series II design and the other was a second release in the Lunar Series I program. The Year of the Rat falls first in the Zodiac and both collections from Perth Mint followed the Chinese lunar calendar exactly from start to finish. Right now, 2008 1 oz Silver Australian Lunar Rat Coins are available to purchase online at Silver.com.
Coin Highlights:
- Ships to you inside of protective plastic capsules!
- Second Year of the Rat issue in the Lunar Series I collection!
- Mintage limited to 300,000 coins only!
- Consists of One Troy ounce of .999 fine silver.
- Bears a face value of $1 (AUD) backed by the federal government of Australia.
- Queen Elizabeth II features on the obverse.
- Two rats are depicted amongst straw and pumpkins on the reverse.
Each 2008 1 oz Silver Australian Lunar Rat Coin available for purchase here today at Silver.com comes with a protective plastic capsule to house the coin. The 1 oz silver bullion coins in the Lunar Series I are the only option among the six options available with each design that has a mintage cap. Only 300,000 of these coins were produced back in 2008 and no more were issued after the calendar year ended.
The rat and ox are first and second, respectively, in the Lunar Calendar’s order because of their arrival to the meeting called by the Jade Emperor. Seeking animals to be his personal guardians, the Jade Emperor called a meeting and the rat was the first to set out to meet him. His progress halted by a river he couldn’t cross alone, the rat cleverly jumped on an ox as it was crossing the river and then jumped off to arrive first as the duo met the Jade Emperor.
On the reverse of 2008 1 oz Silver Australian Lunar Rat Coins, you’ll find the image of two rats in a patch of straw with two pumpkins behind them. The design field includes the Chinese symbol for a rat, the Perth Mint “P” mint mark, and the phrase “Year of the Mouse.”
The obverse of 2008 Silver Australian Lunar Rat Coins includes the image of Queen Elizabeth II. This right-profile portrait is the fourth-generation design from the Royal Mint of England and was designed by Ian Rank-Broadley in 1998. This is the fifth effigy of Her Majesty to feature on Australian coinage during her reign.
If you have any questions, please feel free to reach out to Silver.com. You can call us at 888-989-7223, chat with us live online, or email us directly.
