Three coins mark New Year 2018

A trio of national mints have marked the 2018 Solar New Year in coin: The Royal Australian Mint, The Austrian Mint and China Gold.

Australia’s New Year coin celebrates Sydney’s traditional firework display that lights up city’s harbor. (Image courtesy RAM)

RAM kicks off festivities with the Sydney Harbor Bridge lit up by the fireworks that celebrate that city’s New Year. The colored, frosted, 35.89 mm, half ounce, .999 fine silver dollar has a mintage of 5,000. The design is by Aaron Baggio.

China wishes the world wealth and success in the coming year on its silver ¥3. (Image courtesy China Gold)

For China Gold, this is the fourth consecutive year the People’s Republic has issued a New Year coin. The 25 mm, 8 g, .999 fine silver BU 3 yuan features various design elements that invoke wealth and success. The four issues have proved popular, with mintages rising from 600,000 in 2015 to 2.7 million in 2017 and 2018.

Austria’s New Year coin celebrates the 650th anniversary of the founding of the Austrian National Library. (Image courtesy Austrian Mint)

This year, Austria’s New Year coin also marks the 650th anniversary of the founding of the Austrian National Library. The reverse of the nine-sided, 28.5 mm, 8.410 g, .925 fine silver 5 euro shows the face of the lion that guards the National Library building. Mintage is 50,000. The coin is also available in copper (8.90 g) with a mintage of 200,000.

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