Year of theSheep (Gold)

United Kingdom
Value	100pounds sterling
Mass	31.103 g
Diameter	38.61 mm
Thickness	2.7 mm
Edge	Milled
Composition	.9999 fine gold
Years of minting	2016
Obverse
Design	QueenElizabeth II
Designer	Jody Clark
Reverse
Design	Sheep
Designer	Wuon-Gean Ho
Design date	2016

TheLunar or Shēngxiào (生肖) coin series is a collection ofBritish coins issued by theRoyal Mint, featuring theChinese zodiac in celebration ofChinese New Year. First issued in 2014, the series has been minted in varying denominations of silver and gold, as bothbullion andproof.

The reverse design consists of agallopingHorse set against the background of the pre-historicUffington White Horse, located inOxfordshire.^[1] Lettering on the coin reads "YEAR OF THEHORSE · 2014"^a plus details of the mass and metal content of the coin. The Chinese character forHorse (馬) is displayed near the coin's centre.

In March 2014, it was reported that a number of 1oz bullion coins had mistakenly been struck with the incorrectdie. Around 38,000 of the LunarHorse coins were struck with an obverse intended for theBritannia series, while 17,000 Britannia coins were stuck with the obverse for the Lunar series.^[2]

The reverse design consists of twoYorkshireSwaledale sheep facing each other and the background consists of a forest of trees.^B As designer Wuon-Gean Ho explains: "the ancient Chinese character for the wordsheep looks a little bit like a tree", so the forest consists of a series of this character (羊).^[3] This character is further displayed near the coin's center. Across the top lettering, it reads "YEAR OF THESHEEP · 2015" plus details of the mass and metal content of the coin.

The reverse design features a leapingrhesus monkey jumping forward from a tree with another monkey also jumping in the background.^[4] Lettering on the coin reads "YEAR OF THEMONKEY· 2016"^A plus details of the mass and metal content of the coin. The Chinese character forMonkey (猴) is displayed in the lower right of the coin.

The reverse design features a crowingrooster amongst tensea thrift flowers, the number ten symbolising of perfection in Chinese culture.^[5] Lettering on the coin reads "YEAR OF THEROOSTER · 2017"^A plus details of the mass and metal content of the coin. The Chinese character forRooster (雞) is displayed near the coin's centre. Unlike the previous coins in the series, the 2017 coin breaks the otherwise uniform smooth obverse design, opting for an obverse similar to that of theBritannia coin series.^[6]

Wuon-Gean explains on the Royal Mint's site that "the reverse design is a picture of a very happy, bounding dog that is jumping for joy! This dog is a mix between a West-Highland white Terrier and a Jack Russell – it’s really wirey and really energetic; he also looks like he’s smiling because his mouth is slightly open and it seems like he’s leaping across the waves. In reality, the background is a hidden story; I like to put hidden motifs in my coins, so the background is actually created from a nose pattern of another dog. The nose print is unique to every dog, so the nose print is a portrait of another animal that this dog is potentially playing with – it’s a story of a dog in a landscape, but the landscape is not what you expect it to be. The signature is in the foreground of the landscape and it’s looks like a little shell on a beach – it’s just a motif that says “Wuon-Gean” in very old characters, at the front of the coin." The reverse design features the Chinese character (狗) displayed near the coin's center.^[7]

The reverse design on this Royal Mint Shēngxiào Collection coin celebrates the Year of the Pig. The design by Harry Brockway represents these traits and the cultural traditions behind the lunar calendar, and shows a femalepig (or sow) suckling five piglets. Brockway includes an English Cottage in the background. Each coin features the traditional Chinese symbol for ‘pig’ appears below the sow's head (豬).^[8]

Therat is the seventh design in The Shēngxiào Collection and this coin was designed by illustrator P.J. Lynch. The design obviously features a rat itself, which had to be appealing and interesting. Lynch claims^[9] he shows a rat as it twists, responding to a noise or something happening nearby. The rat is momentarily vulnerable, but also curious and unafraid. Lynch adds: "As well as the twisting body, I was able to have fun with the rat’s long curvy tail, which weaves its way around the composition through the flowers. I chose peonies because of their popularity in China and association with good luck. The arch of text frames the upper hemisphere of the design, and then the only other element is the Chinese character for ‘rat’. I have placed this so that the trailing stroke echoes the shape of the rat's face and jaw. I wanted them to look like continental plates on a globe that might belong together." The Chinese character for rat (鼠) is displayed near the coin's centre.

Harry Brockway on the Royal Mint site^[10] is quoted as saying: "It was important to give an Eastern feel to the design, yet with a ‘British twist'. The design was inspired by eighteenth-century British paintings of prize cattle and he places theOx in an English landscape." Harry's design contains a variety of elements, including blossom trees and ploughs. He claims he explores the concept of a minimalist setting with a strong focus on the creature itself; the design has an emphasis on ‘less is more’. By stripping back the distractions and placing the ox centre stage, Harry believes his final design managed to portray the ox in its purest form. The Chinese character for Ox (牛) is displayed near the coin's centre.

The 2022 coin features theTiger. David Lawrence's reverse design depicts a tiger facing front and theChinese character for "tiger" (虎).^[11][12]

The 2023 coin features theRabbit. It was the last of the series to depictQueen Elizabeth II, who died in September 2022. The reverse design by Louie Maryon shows arabbit and fallingoak leaves, as well as the Chinese character for "rabbit" (兔).^[13]

The 2024 coin features theDragon. It is the first of the series to depictKing Charles III, who acceded to the throne in September 2022. The reverse design by William Webb shows aChinese dragon flying over a forest, as well as theTraditional Chinese character for "dragon" (龍).^[14]

The 2025 coin features theSnake and complete the 12-sign cycle of theChinese zodiac. Designed by Chris Costello, it shows a coiledadder on grass and the Chinese character 蛇 (shé) for "snake".^[15] The obverse featuresKing Charles III.^[16]

• List of British banknotes and coins
• Coins of the pound sterling
• Royal Mint
• The Queen's Beasts (coin)
• Gold as an investment
• Silver as an investment

^A Coin mass and metal content are only displayed of bullion coins
^B This feature only appears on proof coins

• Coins of the United Kingdom
• British gold coins
• Silver coins
• Currencies introduced in 2014
• Bullion coins
• Chinese New Year

• CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown
• Articles with short description
• Short description matches Wikidata
• Use dmy dates from May 2025