The Chinese Lunar Calendar is one of the most popular topics for bullion coins in the world. The lunars from Australia are particularly popular, but many other countries have expanded their product range in the past years and have launched their own Lunar series – including Somaliland, which tranferred its minting license to a German dealer.
After the series first appeared in 2010, the motif for the year 2017 has now been tresented. A rooster can be seen in a true-to-nature representation. This design is only available with the weight of a troy silver ounce. The coins have been produced in the USA since 2014 and were previously minted in Germany.
The Somaliland lunar are always designed according to a recurring pattern: the upper part shows the name of the respective year, in the lower part the corresponding Chinese character can be seen. In addition to the BU variant, whose mintage number is not disclosed, there is also a proof-version with a circulation of only 5,000 pieces.
The coins of Somaliland are a numismatic curiosity, because the state is not acknowledged internationally until today. The Somaliland (Somali Jamhuuriyadda Soomaaliland) extends over the northern part of Somalia, where about 3.5 million people live. The currency name is “Somaliland-Shilling”.
