Today's coin reveal post features the 1/2oz .999 Silver 2000 Lunar Dragon coin struck by the Perth Mint. This coin was released as part of Lunar Series I coins issued by the Perth Mint.

The first coin in the Perth Mint Lunar Series I coin collection was the 1999 Lunar Rabbit coin. The series ran from 1999-2010. The 2000 Lunar Dragon design was the second coin released as part of the series. This coin is probably my all time favourite Lunar coin design released by the Perth Mint.

1. Coin Story

This coin was purchased at a collectors fair at the end of 2021. I saw the coin in the sellers display cabinet with all the other coins and notes they had on display. It immediately caught my eye, but unfortunately so did the price that the seller had it marked for sale.

I asked if I could have a look at the coin and then started asking some questions about the coin. From the conversation I could tell that the seller was not overly attached to the coin and would likely be negotiable on price.

I proceeded to look at other coins from the seller next door and ended up purchasing a number of coins from there as the prices were better and the seller was willing to do a bulk deal price for me.

While I was buying the coins from the seller next door, I could see that the seller of the Lunar Dragon coin was eagerly watching the trade take place. After handing over the cash, I stepped back across and began chatting with the Lunar Dragon coin seller. He had obviously heard us negotiating and seen the prices that I paid for the other coins, so he promptly offered me a price that was inline with the prices I had just paid for the coins from the seller next door.

I was happy with his offer, so I accepted it and ended up buying a couple other coins off him too, so it was a win-win all round.

2. Coin Packaging

These coins are packaged in individual sealed plastic capsules. When purchasing multiple coins they come in sealed rolls of 20 coins. Some of the coins like the one in this post came in special clam shell cases, with red felt on the outside and black felt on the inside of the case.

3. Coin Details

a. Mintage

The maximum mintage for this coin was 500,000 coins, but the declared mintage was only 52,956 coins. The coins were issued as legal tender under the authority of the Australian Government. The denomination of the coin is 50 cents (Australian).

b. Purity

The purity of this 1/2oz coin is .999 fine silver.

c. Details

Mint/Brand:	The Perth Mint
Silver Content:	1/2 Troy Ounce
Purity:	.999 Fine Silver
Denomination:	50 Cents (Australian)
Year of Issue:	2000
Edge:	Milled
Mintage:	52,956
Diameter:	32.1mm
Thickness:	2.3mm

4. Coin Design

a. Reverse Design

The reverse of the coin portrays a serpentine Chinese Dragon reaching for a pearl. The coin has a matte background with the inscription for the year of issue '2000', the coin weight '1/2 OZ', the coin purity '999 SILVER' and the Chinese character for Dragon.

a. Obverse Design

The obverse of the coin portrays the Ian Rank-Broadley effigy of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II. The design also includes the inscriptions 'ELIZABETH II', country of origin 'AUSTRALIA' and the denomination '50 CENTS' (Australian).

Post authored by @strenue