Perth Mint’s Slithering Specimens
On September 10, the Perth Mint launched its 2025 Year of the Snake collection that includes gold, silver, and platinum coins in a variety of finishes, sizes, and denominations.
Snakes are the sixth coin in the mint’s third 12-year Lunar zodiac coin series that is widely collected globally. The snake was the sixth to win a race to decide which animals would be included in the lunar zodiac, according to ancient Chinese legend.
The mint released silver and gold proof collector versions, and silver, gold, and platinum bullion coins are also now available from Perth’s network of bullion distributors around the world. Additional versions will be released in the run-up to the Lunar New Year in January 2025.
People are said to be influenced by the characteristics of the animal whose lunar year they were born in. Those born in the Year of the Snake are believed to be wise, intelligent, independent, and charming, as well as mysterious, intuitive, and stubborn.
Some famous figures born in the Year of the Snake include President John F. Kennedy, artist Pablo Picasso, astronomer Nicolaus Copernicus, musician Bob Dylan, and physicist Stephen Hawking.
The Designer
South African artist Sean Rogers designed the entire lineup of slithering specimens. At a young age, he began drawing eagles and other animals he saw in nature. He later studied graphic design, technical design, and perspective drawing.
Rogers notes that each lunar year he enjoys “the fun challenge of embodying the personality of the zodiac animal into the design.”
“I have tried to express many facets of the snake’s traits within the design, from its mystery and magnetism to its assertiveness,” he adds. “I also wanted to show it as an alert, intelligent, and perceptive creature—character traits that those born under its influence would easily identify with.”
Designs & Specifications
The silver bullion coins feature an image of a coiled snake on the ground beneath hanging leaves on their reverse. The gold examples show a snake curled among bamboo shoots. There are also inscriptions that include the Chinese character for snake plus SNAKE 2025 and a “P” mintmark for Perth.
The silver coins are also struck in .9999-fine silver. The half-ounce and 2-ounce coins plus the forthcoming 5-ounce and kilo silver coins all have unlimited mintages. Sales will close for all of these except the kilo at the end of 2025.
The gold bullion pieces are struck in .9999-fine gold, and production will cease in December 2025.
The 32.6mm platinum version has the same design as the gold and is struck in .9995-fine platinum. Mintage is limited to 5,000.
As for the proof versions, so far the mint has released a 1-ounce silver coin with the same purity and dimensions as the bullion coin with a maximum mintage of 7,500.
There are also gold proofs of a tenth, quarter, and 1 ounce of the same purity and dimensions as their bullion counterparts. Their respective issue limits and maximum mintages are 1,000 and 2,500 for the 1-ounce; 3,500 and 5,000 for the quarter-ounce; and 2,500 and 5,000 for the tenth ounce.
More proofs are coming soon, including the mint’s popular three-coin silver proof sets of half, 1, and 2-ounce pieces.