Today's coin reveal post features the 2010 Lunar Tiger Series II .999 Silver Coin struck by The Perth Mint.

1. Coin Story

The Perth Mint Lunar II series started in 2008 with the release of the lunar mouse coin design. The series ran from 2008 until 2019 with the lunar pig being the final coin design in the series.

The 2009 design was an Ox, the 2010 design was a Tiger, the 2011 design was a Rabbit, the 2012 design was a dragon, the 2013 design was a snake. This post will discuss the 2020 Year of the Tiger coin design.

The 1oz Lunar Tiger coins in these photos were purchased from from a trusted stacker from one of the silver forums. Like the 2009 lunar ox coin that I wrote about a couple days ago, the lunar tiger is also one of the most difficult series II coin designs to find on the secondary market.

These coins are also very sort after and when you do come across it you can expect to pay a high premium. I have been quite fortunate with this coin design as I have be been able to source a number of these coins in various sizes from trusted sellers on the secondary market.

As you will see from the list I have provided below, the lunar tiger comes in various coin sizes. What you will also notice from the list is that the year of the tiger also was released as a 1/2 kilo coin.

Not many of these 1/2 kilo coins were released and thus are very tricky to find. I did have an opportunity to purchase one a number of years a ago, but the coin had a tiny black spot on the tiger side of the coin.

At the time I decided that paying such a high premium for a less than perfect coin was not a good idea. In hindsight, I am still happy with my decision, but I do believe that if I did buy the coin, then it would have been a decent investment.

The Lunar Tiger coin was issued in various sizes by The Perth Mint. The coin sizes are listed below:

• 1/2oz Lunar Tiger Series II Coin.
• 1oz Lunar Tiger Series II Coin.
• 2oz Lunar Tiger Series II Coin.
• 5oz Lunar Tiger Series II Coin.
• 10oz Lunar Tiger Series II Coin.
• 1/2 Kilo Lunar Tiger Series II Coin.
• 1 Kilo Lunar Tiger Series II Coin.

2. Coin Packaging

These coins are packaged in individual sealed plastic capsules. The 1/2oz and 1oz versions were sold in plastic wrap rolls of twenty coins per roll. The 2oz coins were sold in plastic wrap rolls of five coins per roll. The 5oz and 10oz coins were sold on protected cardboard sleeves.

3. Coin Details

a. Mintage

The mintage of this coin design varied per coin size. Each of the coins were issued as legal tender under the authority of the Australian Government. The denomination of each varied per coin size.

The Perth Mint provide a very useful PDF document that is available for download that lays out all this information very clearly. You can access the link via the address provided below:

Lunar Series II mintages

b. Purity

The purity of each of the coins in the series is .999 fine silver irrespective of coin size.

c. Details

Mint/Brand:	The Perth Mint
Silver Content:	1/2oz, 1oz, 2oz, 5oz, 10oz and 1kg
Purity:	.999 Fine Silver
Denomination:	50c, $1, $2, $8, $10, $30
Year of Issue:	2010
Edge:	Milled

d. Privy Mark

The 2010 Lunar Tiger series II coin did not have a Privy Mark version of the coin issued.

4. Coin Design

a. Reverse Design

The reverse of the coin depicts an adult tiger relaxing in a field with a tree in the background.

The design includes an inscription 'Year of the Tiger' and the Chinese symbol for tiger.

b. Obverse Design

The obverse of the coin portrays the effigy of her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II. The denomination of the coin, that varies per size. The coin weight in troy ounces, that varies by size. The silver purity of .999 Fine Silver and the year of issue of 2010.

The design includes the inscriptions 'ELIZABETH II' and 'AUSTRALIA'.

Post authored by @strenue