Value 100 pounds sterling Diameter 32.69 mm Edge Milled | Mass 31.21 g Thickness 2.7 mm Composition .9999 fine gold | |
Lunar coins are British bullion coins issued by the Royal Mint in gold and silver since 2014. Each subsequent release commemorates Chinese New Year with an animal of the Chinese zodiac.
Contents
Reverse
The reverse design consists of a galloping horse set against the background of the pre-historic Uffington White Horse located in Oxfordshire. Lettering on the coin reads "YEAR OF THE HORSE · 2014"a plus details of the mass and metal content of the coin. The Chinese character for horse (馬) is displayed near the coin's centre.
Mule Version
In March 2014 it was reported that a number of 1oz bullion coins had mistakenly been struck with the incorrect die. Around 38,000 of the Lunar Horse coins were struck with an obverse intended for the Britannia series while 17,000 Britannia coin were stuck with the obverse for the Lunar series.
Reverse
The reverse design consists of a two Yorkshire Swaledale sheep facing each other and the background consists of a forest of tree.B As designer Wuon-Gean Ho explains "the ancient Chinese character for the word Sheep looks a little bit like a tree" so the forest consists of a series of this character (羊). This character is further displayed near the coin's center. Across the top lettering reads "YEAR OF THE SHEEP · 2015" plus details of the mass and metal content of the coin.
Reverse
The reverse design features a leaping Rhesus monkey jumping forward from a tree with another money also jumping in the background. Lettering on the coin reads "YEAR OF THE MONKEY· 2016"A plus details of the mass and metal content of the coin. The Chinese character for monkey (猴) is displayed in the lower right of the coin.
Year of the Rooster 2017
The reverse design features a crowing rooster amongst ten sea thrift flowers, the number ten symbolising of perfection in Chinese culture. Lettering on the coin reads "YEAR OF THE ROOSTER · 2017"A plus details of the mass and metal content of the coin. The Chinese character for rooster (雞) is displayed near the coin's centre. Unlike the previous coins in the series the 2017 coin breaks the otherwise uniform smooth obverse design, opting for an obverse similar to that of the Britannia coin series.