The Perth Mint is often described as a global leader when it comes to the production of annual-release bullion coins. Its Australian Gold Kangaroo and Australian Silver Kookaburra series are some of the longest-running collections out there, but even those programs face serious competition from in-house each year in the form of Lunar Series bullion. The Perth Mint introduced the first collection, Lunar Series I, in 1996. In 2020, the mint launched its third such series with the Lunar Series III coins. Now into its second year, the Perth Mint continues with its new expanded series into the Year of the Ox.
2021 Australian Silver Lunar Ox Coins
Each of the silver and gold versions of the 2021 Lunar Ox offers a great deal of variety for investors and collectors. The 2021 Lunar Silver Ox coins feature a common design on the reverse throughout all coins, bullion, and proof. This year’s design from Ing Ing Jong features an adult ox in the foreground with a young calf standing at its side. The two are featured beneath the branch of a cherry blossom tree. In the distant background field, you will notice a quaint farming village with its neatly plowed fields.
The Perth Mint offers the new 2021 Australian Silver Lunar Ox coins with the same weight options from the previous release in 2020. Investors can choose from 1/2 oz silver, 1 oz silver, 2 oz silver, 5 oz silver, 10 oz silver, 1 Kilo, and 10 Kilo silver coins, all with .9999 pure silver content. Only two of the coins have mintage caps applied by the Perth Mint. The 1 oz silver coin is available with a mintage cap of 300,000 coins for the release. The 10 Kilo coin has an extremely low mintage cap of just 100 silver coins. The other coins all have an unlimited mintage. However, by this, the Perth Mint means it will continue to produce the coins to meet demand until the release of the 2022 Year of the Tiger coins.
2021 Australian Gold Lunar Ox Coins
As with the previous Lunar Series from the Perth Mint, gold bullion coins are available with a balance between fractional-ounce gold and larger gold bullion coins. Also similar to other issues, the 2021 Australian Gold Lunar Ox coins come with a unique design that is distinctly different than the silver version. The 2021 Australian Gold Lunar Ox features a design from Ing Ing Jong as well, this one depicting an adult bull ox standing amidst bamboo stalks. While the silver design depicted a calm, docile ox with its young calf, this powerful bull strikes an imposing figure with its muscular frame on display and head with large horns upright and alert.
In total, the 2021 Australian Gold Lunar Ox comes with a total of seven weights that include 1/20 oz, 1/10 oz, 1/4 oz, 1/2 oz, 1 oz, 2 oz, and 10 oz gold, each offering .9999 pure gold content. The only coin in the gold bullion series to come with a mintage cap is the 1 oz gold coin with its maximum mintage set at 30,000 coins for the 2021 release. All other coins have the same unlimited mintage applied to the silver weights.
2021 Australian Platinum Lunar Ox Coins
The 2020 debut of the Lunar Series III collection brought with it the first-ever platinum bullion coins in the series. The platinum coin is available only as a 1 oz platinum coin and shares the same design as the gold bullion coins in the collection. The Perth Mint caps the production of the 1 oz platinum coin in the Lunar Series III collection at only 5,000 platinum coins.
2021 Lunar Ox Obverse Design
The obverse of all coins in the series features the sixth-generation effigy of Queen Elizabeth II. Her Majesty is shown in right-profile relief at the age of 89. She is shown wearing the George IV State Diadem Crown, a piece within the Crown Jewels that has 1,333 diamonds in its setting that weigh more than 300 karats in total.
Year of the Ox
As the Zodiac goes through its 12-year cycle, the Year of the Ox is second. The ox always follows the mouse and precedes the tiger. It is said that the ox arrived second to a meeting with the Jade Emperor and enabled the mouse to arrive first when the mouse hopped aboard its back at a river crossing to get itself safely across. The mouse then jumped off the ox just before the finish line to arrive first.
Invest in Lunar Series III Coins from JM Bullion
The three metallic options in the 2021 Lunar Series III Year of the Ox collection are now available from JM Bullion. You can call us on the phone at 800-276-6508, chat with us live online, or email us directly with your inquiries. We also encourage you to follow us on Facebook and read our weekly blog posts for more in-depth insight on upcoming and new releases.
