1/2 Lunar III Rabbit | Silver | 2023
Invest in a stunning silver bullion coin that is as striking as it is symbolic.
Featuring the loveable rabbit, the 2023 release of the Lunar series offers collectors and investors the opportunity to add this beautiful ½ oz silver coin to their portfolio.
The popular Silver Lunar Series from the Perth Mint honors the Chinese Zodiac 12-year cycle which is based on the lunar calendar. It takes its origin from the Legend of the Great race organised by the Chinese Emperor. He called the animals to him and all who wished to race had to cross a wide river. The first 12 animals to reach the other side would have a year named after them in the calendar.
The mouse arrived first hitching a ride on the back of the ox. The tiger used his power to make it to shore in third place. And the rabbit cleverly jumped from stone to stone and caught a log which floated to the banks. He then became the fourth animal in the Zodiac calendar!
The Perth Mint was founded in 1899 and has more than 100 years of sheer minting excellence. The Perth Mint was the last of the three Australian colonial branches of the United Kingdom’s Royal Mint intended to refine gold from the gold rushes and to mine gold sovereigns for the British Empire. Now acclaimed all around the world, the Perth Mint produces some amazing series - the Lunar series being one of them.
The reverse of the coin depicts two little rabbits under a budding branch. One of the rabbits is sitting down, ears alert looking to its left. The other rabbit next to him is standing on its hind legs stretching towards a branch to try and catch the buds. This is truly a very charming scene. The inscriptions here are the chinese symbol for Rabbit, the word Rabbit, the year 2023 and the Perth Mint mark.
The obverse of the coin features the Late Queen Elizabeth II, who in 2022 celebrated her Platinum Jubilee (70 years since her accession to the throne) but also sadly passed away in September of the same year. The design was created by Jody Clark and chosen in 2015 through a competition commissioned by the United Kingdom’s Royal Mint Advisory Committee. It therefore features the Queen aged 89 and it will be the last portrait of Queen Elizabeth on a coin. The design is particularly striking, representing a very dignified Queen, elegant and gracious. She is wearing her royal crown, earrings and a necklace. The obverse also includes the weight and fineness, and the monetary denomination “50 cents”.
According to Chinese astrology, Rabbits are known for being gentle, skillful, and patient. In Chinese culture, it is believed that a person’s personality matches closely with their zodiac sign, determined by their birth year. This coin would certainly be a lovely gift for those born in 2023, 2011, 1999, 1987, 1975 and every 12th preceding year.
Each individual coin is housed in a classic display case with a clear lid decorated with a silver geometric design. The case portrays the story of how the rabbit became an animal of the zodiac and is accompanied by a numbered Certificate of Authenticity. Purchase your copy today on StoneX Bullion and make someone happy!