Australian Gold Year of the Snake

  • Year of Mint: 2013 (second Australian Lunar series)
  • Mint: Perth Mint
  • Gold Purity: .9999
  • Denominations: AUD 5, 10, 25, 50, 100 and 200
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In honor of the 12 animals represented in the 12-year cycle of the Chinese Lunar Calendar, Australia began minting coinage in 1996 bearing their images. The legend behind this Chinese zodiac tradition states that Buddha summoned every animal within his kingdom millennia ago, but only the 12 honored in the Chinese zodiac showed up. From 2007, the second series of the Australian Lunar coinage and with the snake being the sixth animal in the legendary Chinese zodiac, the Australian Gold Year of the Snake was released in 2013.

The Australian Gold Year of the Snake coin in the second series come in the denominations of 5, 10, 25, 50, 100 and 200 Australian dollars each with a corresponding gold weight of 1/20, 1/10, ¼, ½, 1 and 2 t/oz respectively. The coins weigh 1.5552, 3.1103, 7.7758, 15.5515, 31.1030 and 62.20 grams in the order listed. Still in the same order of listing here, the coins have diameters of 14.10, 16.10, 20.10, 25.10, 32.10 and 40.60 millimeters. Their matching thicknesses are 1.40, 1.30, 1.80, 2.20, 2.65 and 3.90 millimeters respectively. All the five coins have equal gold fineness of .9999, which makes them pure gold coins.

On the obverse, all the denominations of the Australian Gold Year of the Snake coins have similar features save for the face values and the gold content in OZ. Ian Rank-Broadley’s design of the crowned effigy of Queen Elizabeth facing to the right takes up the centers of all the coins with the usual “IRB” inscription below it. The upper half of the coin above the effigy of the Queen on either side are the inscriptions, “ELIZABETH II” and “AUSTRALIA”. The lower half of the coin contains the year, “2013” right at the bottom-center section of the corner separating the inscriptions, ”[n]OZ 9999 GOLD” and “200 DOLLARS”.

All Australian Lunar coinage series are minted by the Perth Mint. With its establishment on 20th June 1899, the Perth Mint is located in East Perth, which is in Western Australia. Its foundation stone was laid by Sir John Forrest in 1896 while George Temple-Poole was its architect.

Additional information

Mint

The Perth Mint

Country of Origin

Australia

Series

Lunar

Weight

3.111 gm, 31.11 gm, 7.777 gm

Pure Gold Content

0.10 Troy oz, 0.25 Troy oz, 1 Troy oz

Purity

999.9

Dimensions

18.60 mm, 22.60 mm, 39.34 mm

Alloy

999.9 fine gold / 24 carat gold

Denomination

$100 AUD, $15 AUD, $25 AUD

Quality

Bullion

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