1 Dollar - Elizabeth II 4th Portrait - Year of the Dog - Silver Bullion Coin

Australia's lunar series from the Perth Mint ran in two twelve-year cycles, with the first cycle concluding in 2007. The 2006 Dog issue falls near the end of that original run, a period when secondary-market premiums for early-cycle pieces had already begun climbing and collectors were backfilling gaps. Perth's mintage caps on individual lunar issues were strictly enforced, a deliberate policy that distinguished them from the Royal Australian Mint's more open-ended bullion programs.

The fourth portrait of Elizabeth II, by Ian Rank-Broadley, was adopted by Australia in 1999.