Coloured ox

First issued in 1995 and now in its third round, the long-running Australian Lunar Coin Series celebrates the animals of the Chinese zodiac with a sequence of annual designs portraying the mouse, ox, tiger, rabbit, dragon, snake, horse, goat, monkey, rooster, dog and pig.

This 2021 coin celebrates the Year of the Ox, whose rule over every second year in the 12-year lunar cycle is said to influence people born during 1949, 1961, 1973, 1985, 1997, 2009 and 2021.

Stunning reverse design

Depicted in stunning colour, the strapping ox on the coin's reverse stands in eye-catching contrast to the mirror-like gold proof background. The design includes representations of bamboo, a symbol of virtue, the inscription OX 2021, the Chinese character for 'ox' and The Perth Mint's 'P' mintmark.