Australia's Year of the Dragon dollar was part of the Royal Australian Mint's ongoing Lunar series, timed to coincide with Chinese New Year celebrations and aimed squarely at the significant Chinese-Australian community as well as the broader collector market. The Dragon year falls on a twelve-year cycle, making 2012 the first such issue under the fourth portrait of Elizabeth II — Ian Rank-Broadley's effigy, which had been in use since 1999.
Circulation strikes were distributed through the Mint's coin show appearances and retail channels rather than general commerce.
Australia's Year of the Dragon dollar was part of the Royal Australian Mint's ongoing Lunar series, timed to coincide with Chinese New Year celebrations and aimed squarely at the significant Chinese-Australian community as well as the broader collector market. The Dragon year falls on a twelve-year cycle, making 2012 the first such issue under the fourth portrait of Elizabeth II — Ian Rank-Broadley's effigy, which had been in use since 1999.
Circulation strikes were distributed through the Mint's coin show appearances and retail channels rather than general commerce.