Sunday, May 9, 2010

2008 Year of Mouse Second Series

Coin's reverse design depicts two mice on a bed of straw with two pumpkins in the background
1 oz Obverse

2 oz Obverse


Seemingly in sync with the Gold Series, which began in 1996, Year of the Mouse, the second of the Silver Lunar Series began production in 2008. The Second Series coins were larger in diameter and hence thinner.

There are 8 denominations for the Silver Series: 10 kilo, 1 kilo, 1/2 kilo, 10 oz, 5 oz, 2 oz, 1 oz, 1/2 oz.

10 kilo: $300
Diameter: 221.0mm
Thickness: 33.0mm
Mintage: 35

1 kilo: $30
Diameter: 100.6 mm
Thickness: 14.6 mm
Mintage: N.A.

1/2 kilo: $15
Diameter: 100.6 mm
Thickness: 7.4 mm
Mintage: 739

10 oz: $10
Diameter: 85.6 mm
Thickness: 6.6 mm
Mintage: 3,718

5 oz: $8
Diameter: 65.6 mm
Thickness: 5.8 mm
Mintage: 3,005

2 oz: $2
Diameter: 55.6 mm
Thickness: 3.6 mm
Mintage: 9,126

1 oz: $1
Diameter: 45.6 mm
Thickness: 2.6 mm
Mintage: 300,000 (Maximum Mintage)

1/2 oz: 50c
Diameter: 36.6 mm
Thickness: 2.3 mm
Mintage: 17,114

  • Maximum Mintage of 1 oz Gilded BU*: 50,000 (With numbered COA & presentation packaging)
  • Maximum Mintage of 1 oz Coloured BU: 3,800 (With numbered COA & presentation packaging)
  • Maximum Mintage of 1 oz Proof: 5,000 (With numbered COA & presentation packaging)
  • Maximum Mintage of 3-Coin Proof Set#: 1,000 sets (With numbered COA & presentation packaging)
  • Maximum Mintage of 4-Coin Typeset^: 1,500 sets (With numbered COA & presentation packaging)
  • Maximum Mintage of 1 kg Proof: 500
  • Maximum Mintage of 1 kg Gemstone (with blue sapphire eye inserts): 5,000 (With numbered COA & presentation packaging)
* It is not known how many 1 oz Gilded BU version would be issued without COA & Box.

# The 3-Coin Proof Set comprises of 2, 1 & 1/2 oz Proof coins.

^ The 4-Coin Typeset comprises of 1 oz coin in 4 different types of finish - BU, BU Coloured, BU Gilded & Proof. The 4-Coin Typeset was only available for sale in March 2009.

Transacted price (shipped) (Jan - Nov 2010)
Series 2
1 Kilo: NIL
10 oz: NIL
5 oz: S$194 (Very Scarce)
2 oz: S$158 - 306
1 oz: S$50 - 72
1/2 oz: S$30 - 52
1 oz Proof with COA & Box: S$114
3 Coin Proof Set with COA & Box: S$684

In January 2011, while Perth Mint declared that the 2011 1 oz Rabbit mintage of 300,000 has been reached, it was also announced that the Mint has received an order large enough to continue to strike the 2008 1 oz Mouse up to its maximum mintage. This has incurred the wrath of some collectors despite the Mint reserving their rights to re-open their striking of the 1 oz up to their maximum mintage or when the entire Second Series is closed. The same can be done on the 1 kilo version while the striking for rest of the denominations for the 2008 Mouse is declared closed.

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

I don't suppose you'd know where I could pick up a 2008 silver 10 kilo year of the mouse? I've been searching everywhere...

alex said...

No I don't. Haven't seen a 10 oz, 1/2 kg transaction for worldwide shipping in ebay. Gotta try the dealers. Mintage of 35 is hard to end up in ebay.

Anonymous said...

do you possibly know where to find a 2 oz silver coin of 2008 series II

alex said...

Currently I do not know of any dealers who has inventory of this coin. You may want to try ebay. There were 4 sold within the US ebay for an average of US$170 each excluding shipping. I've sold 1 last year before the silver rally for only US$120. With mintage of 9,126 and production closed for the 2 oz, it should only go higher.