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

The Australian one ounce silver piece (abbreviated as 1 oz and designated with Ag for "silver") is a bullion and commemorative 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 silver Lunar Series series was introduced in 1999 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 silver coin with a face value of one dollar 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 silver in proof quality, this high relief coin from the Australian Lunar Series is an outstanding 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 silver 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.

The coin portrays a charming image of a tiger cub following its proud and protective parent across a rocky terrain featuring ferns and bamboo. Struck in high relief for enhanced detail on the coin’s concave surface, the design includes the inscription TIGER 2022, the Chinese character for tiger and The Perth Mint’s P mintmark.