Gold Ounce 2022 Year of the Tiger, High Relief, Coin from Australia - detailed information

The Australian one-ounce gold piece (abbreviated as 1 oz and designated with Au for "gold") is a bullion coin format. Uniquely, in Australia there are two mints authorised to strike legal tender: the Royal Australian Mint (which also makes the country's circulating coinage) and the Perth Mint which only makes collector and bullion coins, as well as other bullion products.

The Lunar Series series was introduced in 1996 by the Perth Mint (the Royal Australian Mint started a parallel series later) and is dedicated to the Chinese Lunar Calendar and the Chinese Zodiac. Known as Sheng Xiao or Shu Xiang, it features twelve animal signs in this order: Rat, Ox, Tiger, Rabbit, Dragon, Snake, Horse, Sheep, Monkey, Rooster, Dog and Pig. Boasting a history of more than 2,000 years, it plays an essential role in Chinese culture. The animals zodiac in a cycle are not only used to represent years in China, but also believed to influence people’s personalities, career, compatibility, marriage, and fortune.

This one-ounce high-relief gold proof coin with a face value of $100 was issued as part of the Perth Mint's Lunar Series III to mark the Chinese Year of the Tiger (1 February 2022 to 21 January 2023).

The Mint says about it:
Meticulously crafted from pure gold in flawless proof quality in high relief, this coin from the Australian Lunar Series is a prestigious acquisition or gift for anyone born under the lunar zodiac sign of the tiger.

First issued in 1996, the long-running Australian Lunar Coin Series celebrates the animals of the ancient lunar zodiac with a sequence of annual designs portraying the mouse, ox, tiger, rabbit, dragon, snake, horse, goat, monkey, rooster, dog and pig. This spectacular gold proof coin celebrates the tiger, which is said to bestow courage, confidence and charm on those born under its influence in 1950, 1962, 1974, 1986, 1998, 2010 and 2022.

Featuring a noticeably deep strike on the coin’s concave surface, the release portrays a fearless tiger standing on a peak with its open jaws displaying razor sharp canine teeth.