2016 Perth Mint 1/2 oz Silver Year of The Monkey

Buy 2016 Perth Mint 1/2 oz Silver Year of The Monkey

2016 1/2 oz Perth Mint Silver Monkey coins are now for sale! How are you celebrating the Chinese Lunar New Year? Hopefully with the internationally popular Lunar series coins from Australia's Perth Mint! 2016 marks the Year of the Monkey, and Perth is back with the 2016 1/2 oz Silver Year of the Monkey coins! Each coin is struck from .999 fine silver, and is government-issued legal tender with a face value of 50 Cents. In addition to their actual silver weight (ASW) of one-half troy ounce (0.5 troy oz) of pure silver, these coins use the stylized, symbolic designs that the mint is known for in its Lunar series.

On the reverse, designed by Ing Ing Jong, two monkeys are depicted lounging on the crook of a tree branch. On the right, a baby monkey gazes at a peach in its hand with curiosity. An older monkey, positioned on the left, looks on with apparent satisfaction. “Year of the Monkey” is inscribed along the bottom rim. The “P” mintmark for the Perth Mint is found against the rim to the left. The Chinese character meaning “Monkey” hangs above the two monkeys' heads.

The obverse features a portrait of HM Queen Elizabeth II facing right, designed by Ian Rank-Broadley. The top half of the rim includes inscriptions for the Queen's name, “ELIZABETH II,” as well as the issuing nation, “AUSTRALIA.” Meanwhile, the bottom rim is filled with inscriptions indicating the coin's weight and purity specifications, “1/2 OZ 999 SILVER,” at the bottom-left, followed by the date of issue, “2016,” and the denomination “50 CENTS” to the bottom-right. The edge has a reeded pattern.

The Perth Mint, located in Western Australia, was the first major world mint to offer bullion coin series with annually updated reverse designs, adding a distinctive collectible flavor to many of their gold and silver coin series. This technique has been so successful, many other mints have since followed suit. The 2016 1/2 oz Silver Year of the Monkey coin is an excellent addition to the Perth Mint's Lunar series, and it can be the perfect addition to your coin collection, too!