Lunar Series (British coin)

The Lunar or Shēngxiào (生肖) coin series is a collection of British coins issued by the Royal Mint featuring the Chinese zodiac in celebration of Chinese New Year. First issued in 2014 the series has been minted in varying denominations of Silver and Gold as both bullion and proof.

For the coin series minted by China, see Chinese lunar coins.
Year of the Sheep (Gold)
United Kingdom
Value100 pounds sterling
Mass31.103 g
Diameter38.61 mm
Thickness2.7 mm
EdgeMilled
Composition.9999 fine gold
Years of minting2016
Obverse
DesignQueen Elizabeth II
DesignerJody Clark
Reverse
DesignSheep
DesignerWuon-Gean Ho
Design date2016

Year of the Horse 2014

Reverse

The reverse design consists of a galloping Horse set against the background of the pre-historic Uffington White Horse located in Oxfordshire.[1] 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.[2]

Year of the Sheep 2015

The reverse design consists of two Yorkshire Swaledale sheep facing each other and the background consists of a forest of trees.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).[3] 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.

Year of the Monkey 2016

The reverse design features a leaping Rhesus monkey jumping forward from a tree with another monkey also jumping in the background.[4] 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.[5] 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.[6]

Year of the Dog 2018

The reverse design features a leaping dog with the Chinese character (狗) displayed near the coin's center.

Face Values
Face Value
1/10 oz 1oz 5oz 1 Kilo
Silver N/A £2 £10 £500
Gold £10 £100 £500 £1000

Mintage Figures
Silver Notes
Year Obverse Obverse

Designer

 Reverse Reverse Designer Bullion Proof
1oz 1 oz 1 oz PNC 5oz 1 Kilo
2014 Queen Elizabeth II Ian Rank-Broadley Horse Wuon-Gean Ho 300,000 8,888 2014 1,488 [7]
2015 Queen Elizabeth II Ian Rank-Broadley Sheep Wuon-Gean Ho 188,888 9,888 2,015 1,088 [8]
2016 Queen Elizabeth II Jody Clark Monkey Wuon-Gean Ho 138,888 8,054 2,016 588 88 [9][10]
2017 Queen Elizabeth II Jody Clark Rooster Wuon-Gean Ho 138,888 3,888 388 68 [11][8]
2018 Queen Elizabeth II Jody Clark Dog Wuon-Gean Ho 5,008 388 108 [12]
2019 Queen Elizabeth II Jody Clark Pig Harry Brockway 138,888 3888 288 38 [13]
2020 Queen Elizabeth II Jody Clark Rat P.J. Lynch 138,888 3898 198 38 [14][15]
Gold Notes
Year Obverse Obverse

Designer

 Reverse Reverse

Designer

 Bullion BU Proof
1oz Gold 1/10 oz 1/4 oz 1oz 1 oz Gold-plated 5 oz 1 Kilo
2014 Queen Elizabeth II Ian Rank-Broadley Horse Wuon-Gean Ho 30,000 2,888 888 [7]
2015 Queen Elizabeth II Ian Rank-Broadley Sheep Wuon-Gean Ho 8,888 2,888 888 4,888 38 [8]
2016 Queen Elizabeth II Jody Clark Monkey Wuon-Gean Ho 8,888 1,888 888 38 8 [9][16]
2017 Queen Elizabeth II Jody Clark Rooster Wuon-Gean Ho 8,888 2,088 688 38 8 [11]
2018 Queen Elizabeth II Jody Clark Dog Wuon-Gean Ho 1,008 888 [12]
2019 Queen Elizabeth II Jody Clark Pig Harry Brockway 8,888 1,088 888 58 38 [13]
2020 Queen Elizabeth II Jody Clark Rat P.J. Lynch 8,888 398 898 30 10 [14][17]

See also

Notes

^A Coin mass and metal content are only displayed of bullion coins
^B This feature only appears on proof coins

References
  1. Ho, Wuon-Gean. "Lunar Coin Commission for The Royal Mint". wuongean.com. Retrieved 28 September 2016.
  2. "2014 Royal Mint Year of the Horse Silver Bullion Coin". 24carat.co.uk. Retrieved 29 September 2016.
  3. The 2015 Lunar Year of the Sheep UK Coins from The Royal Mint. YouTube. 2014. Retrieved 28 September 2016.
  4. The 2015 Lunar Year of the Sheep UK Coins from The Royal Mint. YouTube. 2014. Retrieved 29 September 2016.
  5. "Lunar Year of the Rooster 2017 UK Five Ounce Gold Proof Coin". Royal Mint. Royal Mint. Retrieved 29 September 2016.
  6. "The Royal Mint 2017 Lunar Year of the Rooster Coins". chards.co.uk. Retrieved 22 October 2016.
  7. "The Royal Mint strikes the first UK Lunar coins". Royal Mint. Archived from the original on 19 March 2014. Retrieved 12 May 2017.CS1 maint: BOT: original-url status unknown (link)
  8. "Royal Mints bullion Lunar Rooster range out along with revised Britannia". AgAuNews. Retrieved 12 May 2017.
  9. "The Shēngxiào Collection returns". Royal Mint. Archived from the original on 10 March 2016. Retrieved 12 May 2017.CS1 maint: BOT: original-url status unknown (link)
  10. "2016 UK Lunar Year of the Monkey Silver Bullion Coin". Chard. Retrieved 12 May 2017.
  11. Starck, Jeff. "Royal Mint launches fourth annual round of coins in Lunar bullion program". Coin World. Retrieved 12 May 2017.
  12. "The Lunar Year of the Dog 2018". Royal Mint. Retrieved 17 September 2017.
  13. "The Year of the Pig By the Royal Mint". Bullion Exchange. Retrieved 14 September 2018.
  14. "2020 LUNARS: Royal Mint adds to its Shengxiao series with a new style for the Year of the Rat". AgAuNews.com. Retrieved 25 September 2019.
  15. "Lunar 2020 Year of the Rat – 1 oz Silver Coin". royalmintbullion.com. Retrieved 25 September 2019.
  16. "2016 Royal Mint One Ounce Year of the Monkey Coin". Tax Free Gold. Retrieved 12 May 2017.
  17. "Lunar 2020 Year of the Rat – 1 oz Gold Coin". royalmintbullion.com. Retrieved 25 September 2019.
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