1996 Australia 1 oz Gold Lunar Rat

Containing the lowest second mintage of the series, the Australian Lunar Gold 1 oz Gold 1996 Rat is a difficult coin to locate these days. Besides its 16,593 coin mintage, the 1996 Rat is also the first coin to be minted for the Lunar Series I. The Perth Mint began the Lunar Series I to keep up with the Chinese zodiac calendar, that connects years of birth to an animal. Those born in 1996 are connected to the rat, which may seem like they drew the short straw. Luckily, in Chinese culture, the all of the distasteful animals actually mean something totally different and have more positive meanings.

The idea of the rat usually comes with negative feelings: scavengers that are filthy and sneaky. But in Chinese culture, the rat is viewed as a spirit animal that is witty, alert, and cunning. People born under the year of the rat are known to be intelligent, rich, popular among peers, and good-natured. Nothing short of Perth Mint's amazing attention to detail, the Australian Lunar Gold 1 oz Gold 1996 Rat design is impeccable with its distinct lines and curvature. The rat sits on a pile of rubbish, with its long, thin tail wrapping itself around the furry creature. The vermin is accompanied by the date of mintage, the Chinese symbol with the English translation for "The Year of the Rat." The obverse reveals a portrait of Queen Elizabeth II, regally sitting at a side angle. Her Majesty shares the surface with the coin's gold purity and weight. Like all of the coins that are in the Perth Mint's Lunar Series I, the Australian Lunar Gold 1 oz Gold 1996 Rat comes in its original mint-sealed capsule.

• Denomination: N/A
• Year: 1996
• Diameter: N/A
• Mint Mark: N/A
• Thickness: N/A
• Grade: N/A