Today's coin reveal post features the 1/2oz .999 Silver 2016 Lunar Monkey Coin struck by The Perth Mint. The coin was issued as legal tender under the authority of Australia with a denomination of 50 cents.

The declared mintage of the bullion coin was 233,615. The purity of the coin is .999 fine silver.

I was not actively buying silver or gold in 2016, so I am not actually sure how popular this coin design was when it was released. The Lunar Monkey coin forms part of the Series II Lunar Series of coins struck by The Perth Mint. This coin design was the ninth design released in this series of twelve lunar coins.

The coin designs that followed the Lunar Monkey were the Lunar Rooster in 2017, the Lunar Dog in 2018 and the Lunar Pig in 2019.

1. Coin Story

I recently purchased this roll of Lunar Monkey coins from a gold and silver dealer from the city. It was the first transaction I had with this particular dealer, but the dealer is one that I have been following for sometime and I know they have a solid reputation in the Australian Stacker community.

Since this successful transaction, I have done a number of other trades with this dealer. Their prices are very reasonable and their delivery time is fast. In a future post I will write about some of the respected dealers here in Australia. A number of the dealers have been around for many years, but there has been a number of new dealers in recent years that offer great products at reasonable prices.

2. Coin Packaging

As you can see from the photos, the 1/2oz Lunar Monkey Coins are sealed in plastic shrink wrap when the come from the mint. Each of the 20 coins in the shrink wrap are stored in plastic capsules.

The plastic capsules help to protect the coins from the environment and from getting smudges or blemishes when people handle the coins. If the coins remain in their sealed plastic capsules there is a strong chance that they will retain their pristine silver shine. As the years go by and the coins age, they may start to show a bit of toning on the edges of the coins.

3. Coin Details

a. Mintage

The declared mintage of the bullion coin was 233,615.

b. Purity

The purity of these coins is .999 fine silver.

c. Details

Mint/Brand:	The Perth Mint
Silver Content:	0.5 Troy Ounces
Purity:	.999 Fine Silver
Denomination:	50c (Australian)
Year of Issue:	2016
Edge:	Milled
Weight:	15.553g
Declared Mintage:	233,615

4. Coin Design

a. Reverse Design

The reverse of the coin depicts an adult monkey and a baby monkey sitting in a peach tree. The baby is holding a peach, which is symbolic of longevity and immortality. The Chinese character for ‘monkey’ and the inscription ‘Year of the Monkey’ also appear in the design with The Perth Mint’s traditional ‘P’ mintmark.

a. Obverse Design

The obverse of the coin portrays the Ian Rank-Broadley effigy of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, the denomination of Australian 50 Cents and the year 2016.

Please share your thoughts of the Lunar Monkey coin design. Do you love the design or do you find it a bit meh! For me personally the jury is still out, I like the design, but I am not sure if I quite love the design. Perhaps it will still grow on my over time.😁

I intend on selling these 1/2oz Lunar Monkey coins over the next few weeks, so I guess I will quickly find out if the market likes the design of these coins or not. I will keep you updated and let you know how successful I am at moving these coins.

Post authored by @strenue