The German Shepherd is one of the most recognizable dog breeds in the world, ranking second in registrations with the American Kennel Club and fourth with The Kennel Club of the United Kingdom. Today, this recognizable dog breed appears on the most recognizable and sought-after bullion coin series: Lunar Series II. The 2018 2 oz Australian Silver Dog Coin is now available for you to purchase online from JM Bullion.

Coin Highlights:

• Ship in individual plastic capsules, multiples of 100 ship in boxes.
• 11^th coin design for Lunar Series II!
• Contains 2 Troy oz of .9999 pure silver in BU condition.
• Issued a face value of $2 (AUD) by Australia.
• Obverse features the effigy of Queen Elizabeth II.
• Reverse includes a German Shepherd dog for the Year of the Dog design.
• Designs from Ing Ing Jong.

Ing Ing Jong is the illustrator behind both the gold and silver coin designs for the Lunar Series II collection from the Perth Mint. A 2006 graduate of Perth’s Central TAFE School of Art and Design, she holds an Advanced Diploma in Graphic Design and specializes in illustration and multimedia.

For the Year of the Dog design on the 2018 Australian Silver Dog Coins, Jong used the German Shepherd as the stalwart representative of all dogs. The German Shepherd is a working breed commonly used in service roles and alongside police and military forces. Shepherds are a relatively new breed, established in 1899.

On the reverse of the 2018 2 oz Australian Silver Dog Coin you’ll find Jong’s depiction of the German Shepherd, which features an adult and its pup laying in a field with Chinese peony flowers in the background. Engravings include “Year of the Dog,” the Chinese symbol for dog, and the Perth Mint’s “P” mint mark.

The obverse of all coins in the Australian Silver Dog release feature Queen Elizabeth II’s iconic portrait. Created in 1998 by Ian Rank-Broadley as the fourth-generation effigy during her reign, this image was used until 2015 on British coins when it was replaced with a newer effigy of the world’s current, longest-reigning monarch.

Each 2018 2 oz Australian Silver Dog Coin is in BU condition. Coins in this condition show no signs of wear and tear, but you may notice minor flaws such as breaks in the luster, spotted surfaces, or contact marks from striking the blanks during coining.

The Perth Mint uses an “unlimited mintage” tag for many of its silver bullion products. For Lunar Series II coins, this means the coins will be continually minted through the end of 2018 to meet demand, but stop at the calendar year’s end.

We encourage all JM Bullion customers to reach out to us with questions at 800-276-6508. You can also connect with us online using our live chat and email address. Don’t forget to check today’s silver price when shopping!