2001 Canadian $15 Chinese Lunar Calendar: Year of the Snake Sterling Silver & Gold-plated Cameo Coin with Stamp Issue
Centuries ago, the Chinese invented a calendar based on the lunar – rather than the solar – cycle. In 1998, the Royal Canadian Mint, inaugurated a remarkable series of coins featuring the animal symbols of Chinese astrology based on the Lunar Calendar. These symbols roughly approximate the signs of the zodiac in western culture, however, denote years instead of months.
Design
All 12 of the Lunar animals – the Rat, the Ox, the Tiger, the Rabbit, the Dragon, the Snake, the Horse, the Sheep, the Monkey, the Rooster, the Dog, and the Pig – appear in a circular arrangement around the rim of each coin, with a different animal highlighted each year in a central cameo.
Centuries ago, the Chinese invented a calendar based on the lunar – rather than the solar – cycle. In 1998, the Royal Canadian Mint, inaugurated a remarkable series of coins featuring the animal symbols of Chinese astrology based on the Lunar Calendar. These symbols roughly approximate the signs of the zodiac in western culture, however, denote years instead of months.
Design
All 12 of the Lunar animals – the Rat, the Ox, the Tiger, the Rabbit, the Dragon, the Snake, the Horse, the Sheep, the Monkey, the Rooster, the Dog, and the Pig – appear in a circular arrangement around the rim of each coin, with a different animal highlighted each year in a central cameo.
Specifications
| Mintage: | 8,000 with Coin & Stamp |
| Composition: | 92.5% silver, 7.5% copper, 24-karat gold cameo |
| Finish: | Proof |
| Weight: | 34 g |
| Diameter: | 40 mm |
| Certificate: | Included |
| Face value: | 15 dollars |
