Lunar Year of the Ox - Gold Gilded Coin

About the Design

Chinese New Year is the most important of the traditional Chinese holidays. It consists of a period of celebrations starting on the first day of the first month of the Chinese calendar.

The New Zealand Mint is proud to present a 2009 silver coin issue celebrating the lunar year of the Ox.

The Ox is a symbol of prosperity, fortitude and hard work. Those who are born in this year are natural leaders, and possess an innate ability to achieve great things. Such people are often dependable, calm, and modest. Like their animal namesake, the Ox, they are unswervingly patient, tireless in their work, and capable of enduring hardship without complaint.

The Ox works patiently, methodically and hard, with original intelligence and reflective thought. These people enjoy actively helping others. On top of this, behind their tenacious, laboring and self sacrificing exterior lies an active mind.

Lunar years of the Ox

1913, 1925, 1937, 1949, 1961, 1973, 1985, 1997, 2009

Obverse

The obverse of the coin features the Raphael Maklouf effigy of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, sovereign of the Commonwealth and Pitcairn Island, along with the year of issue (2009) and the denomination of $2

Reverse

The reverse features a striking gold gilded image of an Ox emphasizing its strength and capability. Next to this is the Chinese character for Ox and the inscriptions Year of the Ox and the year 2009.

Limited Mintage

The lunar year of the Ox coin is struck from 1oz of pure silver and is selectively gold gilded. No more than 15,000 coins will be issued by the New Zealand Mint. The coins are legal tender of the Government of Pitcairn Island.

Presentation

Each 1oz Silver Coin Comes with an individually numbered certificate of authenticity issued by New Zealand Mint.