2017 Year Of The Rooster 1 oz Silver Round

Buy 2017 Year Of The Rooster 1 oz Silver Round

In the 12-year cycle of the Chinese Lunar calendar, the Year of the Rooster last occurred in 2017.

The duodecennial (every 12 years) occurrence of the Rooster year rotated to the element Fire for 2017. The previous instance of the Year of the Fire Rooster was in 1957.

Other elemental modifiers in the Chinese zodiac besides Fire are Earth, Metal, Water, and Wood. These each correspond to the five known planets (besides our own) at the time the Lunar calendar was developed: Fire represents Mars, Earth represents Saturn, Metal represents Venus, Water represents Mercury, and Wood represents Jupiter.

In this sense, the connection between China's Lunar calendar and the more familiar zodiac of Western astrology becomes a bit clearer.

This ancient and venerable tradition traces back thousands of years. Its popularity has even spread to a variety of different cultures all around the world. The arrival of a new year on the Lunar calendar (which is also known as the Chinese zodiac) is both a regularly consulted philosophical guide and a cause for celebration, gift-giving, and general merriment.

Lunar Silver Bullion Grows In Worldwide Popularity

The idea of creating gold and silver coins that feature a Lunar calendar theme arose in part to cater to the high level of demand for precious metals in countries in the Asia-Pacific region.

Government mints like Perth Mint in Western Australia and the Royal Mint in the U.K. began to strike such coins on an annual basis. Perth Mint undoubtedly took the lead in this regard, with Australia located strategically much closer to Southeast Asia.

Eventually, other mints in North America, Oceania, and Europe, and various private mints have picked up the Lunar coin theme thanks to its robust market and popularity among far-flung customers.

Buying of bullion in China and elsewhere in Asia is especially swift in the weeks preceding the Lunar New Year. This is because gold and silver are traditionally seen as auspicious gifts and investments, especially during the holiday season.

<p.For this reason, since 1970, gold and silver prices have tended to rise more in the January–March and October–December quarters but lag during the spring and summer months. This pattern has repeated in a cyclical manner more often than over the past half-century.

There can be little doubt that worldwide purchases of bullion leading up to the Lunar New Year have helped account for the strong seasonality of global gold and silver demand since about 1970. It's no coincidence that rules about the private ownership and trade of gold bullion began to loosen dramatically in the 1970s.

The Year of the Rooster: Key Characteristics

In addition to marking the annual period of new ventures and new beginnings (not to mention new investments), the Lunar calendar is also believed to reveal certain underlying characteristics about people born under the various zodiac signs. In this respect, the Chinese Lunar calendar tradition is thus somewhat analogous to practices found within Western astrology.

Those born under the sign of the Rooster are said to be strong communicators, honest, ambitious, independent, and sharp-minded. Rooster people are also thought to be good with money and reliable in general.

Punctuality and fidelity are two of the first things that come to mind that distinguish people born during the Year of the Rooster from others. However, they are often impatient.

In some Chinese traditions, roosters are even purported to exorcise evil spirits.

Previous Years of the Rooster have fallen in 2005, 1993, 1981, 1969, 1957, 1945, 1933, 1921, and 1909.

Hence, the next Year of the Rooster won't happen again until 2029.

Exclusive In-House Gainesville Coins Chinese Lunar Rooster Design!

Because of the distribution and supply chain models used by government mints, they must charge a premium on every bullion coin that they sell to distributors and authorized purchasers. This also reflects the added costs of manufacturing coins, which must meet very certain specifications that are mandated by law to deter counterfeiting. Some of these specifications can be costly -- hence the premium above the intrinsic value of the coin.

Silver rounds do not carry the same high premium because they are produced by private minting facilities, not the government, and thus aren't required to adhere to certain legal restrictions and regulations about size and design.

Nonetheless, privately minted silver rounds are still held to rigorous standard for quality and purity so long as they are struck at an ISO-compliant refinery or facility. (Rest assured, all silver that qualifies for inclusion in an IRA must come from an ISO-approved manufacturer.)

This alternative choice is a boon for consumers and investors who are looking for a more affordable way to own precious metals stack silver bullion over time. Privately minted silver largely did not exist prior to the 1970s.

This is why Gainesville Coins developed an original new Year of the Rooster design with our in-house artists. It even is minted with a beautiful proof-like finish like those used for many collectible or commemorative coins.

While the Lunar coins of some countries have employed highly symbolic and at times almost cartoon-style artwork in their designs for each year's animal sign, the Gainesville Coins exclusive Lunar Rooster silver round lets the breathtaking capabilities of modern minting technology stand out with its hyper-realistic images.

The exceptional realism in the feathers and face of the rooster give it a regal or ennobled appearance. Its detailed relief devices stand out in gorgeous contrast to the highly reflective fields of the proof-like finish.

Front Design

The front of the round shows a nearly photo-realistic realistic engraving of a rooster from the side profile in a pastoral setting. The radiant sun rising above a series of jagged mountains in the background is positioned directly behind the rooster's head.

In the bottom-left corner, the Chinese character for (the Lunar sign of the) "Rooster" and the year-date "2017" are shown within a rectangle with round corners.

Back Design

On the back side, the design uses a zodiac wheel showing the silhouettes of the 12 different animal signs of the Chinese Lunar calendar in their sequential order.

A repeating pattern resembling the Greek meander fills the outer rim. At the center of the wheel, the weight "1oz" is flanked by the inscriptions "2017 Year Of The Rooster" above and the purity ".999 Fine Silver" inscribed below.

You'll only find these visually stunning Lunar silver rounds available for sale at Gainesville Coins!

More About the Chinese Lunar Calendar

There is an entertaining myth that explains how the 12 different signs of the Lunar calendar came to be chosen.

As the legend goes, God called all of the creatures of the animal kingdom to meet at a certain location. The first 12 animals that arrived would be enshrined in the Lunar calendar. The order of the calendar would be determined by a race between the animals.

The story largely focuses on how the rat, the humblest and weakest of the animals in the race, outsmarted the much larger and faster creatures with whom it competed.

First of all, the rat and the cat were actually great friends at this time. They lived nearby one another and agreed to go to the race together.

However, the cat -- as he tended to do -- fell asleep before the race. Either in haste or as a deliberate act of sabotage, the rat neglected to wake up the cat. Hence, the cat missed the race.

This is why the cat is not represented in the Lunar calendar, and explains why cats are notorious for hunting and killing rodents to this day.

The rat proceeded to use his wits yet again when the animals in the race encountered a river with a very strong current just before the finish line. He convinced the ox, who was the best swimmer in the group, to give him a ride across the water. (In some versions, this favor was in exchange for a song.)

The ox obliged the rat, who promptly hopped off when they reached shore and won the race. Naturally, the ox came in second; he was followed (in order) by the tiger, rabbit, and dragon; the horse arrived next, but the snake had hitched a ride by wrapping himself around the horse's leg and slithered in just ahead.

They were then followed by the ram, monkey, and rooster. The dog came in next after having too much fun splashing around in the river. Finally, the pig was the last animal to finish the race.

Other Lunar Bullion Series

The innovation of governments issuing their own legal tender Lunar bullion coins first began in earnest in the 1990s. Sometimes, rather than minting a whole series of coins for this purpose, state mints might place a small privy mark on a special-edition version of an existing coin that showed that year's Lunar animal.

A growing number of government mints now have their own Lunar series coins, as well. Most prominent among them are Perth Mint and the Royal Australian Mint; the Royal Mint (U.K.); the Royal Canadian Mint; La Monnaie de Paris (Paris Mint); the New Zealand Mint; and the Bank of China.

These major state mints are today joined by a number of much smaller countries that are now issuing their own Lunar-themed coins: Bhutan, Cameroon, Fiji, Kazakhstan, Laos, Macau, Macedonia, Mongolia, Niue, Palau, Rwanda, Singapore, Solomon Islands, Tokelau, and Tuvalu have all gotten in on the act. In most cases, the coins are struck by a well-known world mint on behalf of the issuing country.

In all of these cases, artists and designers develop their own original designs to represent the Lunar animal for each year. Some are better than others from an aesthetic standpoint, but they are all unique.

Moreover, each of these series limits itself to gold and silver coins. The association between the Lunar New Year and precious metals is strong. Many of the new silver coins from around the world emerged precisely because of the Lunar theme.

Buy 2017 Year of the Rooster Lunar Silver

You can own a piece of this worldwide holiday celebration with this fantastic silver round from Gainesville Coins! The Chinese Lunar New Year has become an international sensation and encompasses many different cultures across a wide range of geographic locations.

Both gold and silver have been used for Lunar bullion products, from coins to round to bars. That doesn't include all of the related products in the jewelry industry that cater to the Lunar theme. Each year, millions of people observe the Lunar holiday by giving gifts of precious metals.

2017 Lunar Rooster Silver Rounds at Great Prices!

At its heart, the GC-exclusive Lunar Rooster 1 oz silver round pairs an interesting design with one troy ounce of actual silver weight (ASW), the equivalent of 31.1 grams.

It offers a magnificent original design struck in .999 fine silver, yet still offers an extremely low premium over spot. This is one of the great advantages of silver rounds and silver bars.

Yet you don't normally see this high level of artistic merit and attention to detail in a silver bullion product at such an affordable price.

Nevertheless, you'll find this combination of great prices and beautiful bullion artwork is case with so many of our other Gainesville Coins exclusive products. Browse through our growing number of exclusive series and designs!

These 2017 Year of the Rooster 1 oz Silver Rounds are available for purchase online 24/7, or over the phone with one of our experienced traders and in our showroom during normal business hours (Monday through Friday, 9 am to 5 pm EST).

Also be sure to check for our frequently updated Daily Deal and check out wide selection of items available in our Clearance section!