The Year of the Rabbit

The Lunar New Year, also known as the Chinese New Year, takes place on January 22 this year. Festivities don’t last only one night, however. Celebrations can range from 7 to 16 days. The first 7 are a public holiday.

Hopping into the year 2023 is the Year of the Rabbit. The previous Year of the Rabbit was in 2011, and the next will be 2035. Rabbits are known for their kindness and are often seen as soft and weak because of it, when in reality their quiet nature hides their confidence and strength. They are socializers and have good reasoning skills with an attention to detail.

The year 2023 coincides with the element water, so those born this year have a fortune told of having financial hardships during their youth but are able to turn unfortunate events around. During elderly years, money must be spent to preserve longevity. If this fortune sounds familiar, the last water rabbit year was in 1963.

Men born to the Year of the Rabbit, according to the Chinese zodiac, are polite and avoid conflict, however they will have a hard line they will not cross. They are organized and helpful, a great friend but don’t often like to open up and get too close to the people around them.

Women born in the rabbit year are social butterflies. They’re thoughtful and polite and very conscious of their public image.

The story of the Chinese zodiacs is an interesting one. Similar to the classic fable in western culture of the Tortoise and the Hare, the Chinese rabbit was very proud of his speed and ridiculed his neighbor the Ox. When the Jade Emperor declared that the zodiac order would be decided by the order in which the animals arrived at his party, the rabbit left as soon as possible. Sure that he would arrive first, he took a nap on the side of the road. When he woke up, three animals had arrived before him, including the Ox.

The Lunar New Year is a large celebration and holiday, which invites many exciting commemorative coins and tokens to be made by mints around the world. The following are a few selections out of many that range in size, shape, metal, and design. Though the selection found here seems far from just a few, there is no way to fit all the possibilities in just one article.

The Kingdom of Bhutan has a few selections for the Year of the Rabbit. Minted by the Singapore Mint, the Kingdom of Bhutan has been releasing their Happiest Lunar coin series since 2016. This year, the mintage is capped at 10,000. Offered in silver and gold, the obverse shows a stylized rabbit with “2023 Year of the Rabbit” along the top rim. The reverse of the coin depicts the national emblem of the Kingdom of Bhutan in an intricate engraving.

Accompanied with a fashionable jewelry cord, the 500 franc coin pendant from Cameroon would make a great gift for those in your life who may not be a collector. The rabbit on both coins is dressed to look like a royal announcer, much like the white rabbit from the famous children’s story Alice in Wonderland. He even has his pocket watch, which has an inlaid stone in the circular coin, to make sure he stays on time for this year’s festivities.

Canada has multiple options to pick from in both design and metal. Two very detailed designs show intricate swirls, flowers and motifs. The third is simple, but quite elegant. All three have the common obverse of Jody Clark’s effigy of the late Queen Elizabeth II. 

B.H. Mayer presents two coins on behalf of Cook Islands. One gold and one silver with the same design. It is more common to see colorization on silver coins, but here the purple center can be found on both. Two realistic rabbits sit huddled in the center of these coins surrounded by flowers and butterflies. The effigy of Queen Elizabeth II can be found on the obverse. 

This $10 gold plated silver coin is also from B.H. Mayer on behalf of Fiji. The reverse shows two golden rabbits, with gorgeous detailing in their fur. Separating the two rabbits is a freshwater pearl set into the coin. 

The French Mint, Monnaie de Paris, does not disappoint. With silver and gold options as well as design choices, it wouldn’t be a bad idea to collect them all. In silver we can see the first design, a realistic rabbit coming out of the center of the coin with motifs of all the zodiac animals surrounding it. The reversed shows the Chinese zodiac calendar, starting in 2018 and going until 2029, the different animals gathering within. In the gold example, the obverse has a stylized rabbit with Annee du Lapin beside it, translating to Year of the Rabbit. The reverse has the yin yang symbol in the center, with the twelve animal zodiacs surrounding it. The rabbit is on the side of yin in Chinese culture.

Offered in silver and gold, the coins from Macau are vibrant and fun, reflecting the celebratory time of the New Year. The reverse shows a pink-colored rabbit with Portuguese-inspired tiles. The rabbit is surrounded by lotuses. The silver coin can come with or without the pink Swarovski insert. The gold coin has both the pink rabbit and gold Swarovski decoration around the rim. The obverse of the coin shows the Old City Walls of Macau. 

Mongolia’s coins, minted by CIT, can be found in both silver and gold. The gold circular coin (above) has the typical obverse, with a reverse of a simple rabbit and the year 2023 underneath it. Also offered is a silver 1,000 Togrog rabbit. No one would suspect the tiny 35mm figurine sitting on your shelf is actually a coin!

The New Zeland Mint, on behalf of Niue, always comes out with fun new coins. This year there are many to pick from, so here are just two to showcase some of the range in choices. The first is a blue rabbit standing in the middle of the coin, its head turned facing right. The design is simple, but beautiful. The blues and purples striking against the silver coin. On the opposite end of the spectrum, Niue has released a coin featuring Bugs Bunny from the Looney Toons™ celebrating the new year.

Palau’s rabbit coin is another shaped coin, though this one is only 11mm and is flat opposed to the figurine style found in the Mongolian coins. The design is simple for the tiny coin, with Republic of Palau and $1 found on the obverse. 

PAMP’s Year of the Rabbit token comes in either silver or gold. Here, the obverse is represented in silver, and the reverse in gold. A step away from the coins, these silver and gold bullion tokens are still quite attractive and allow for some bullion collecting.

The Perth Mint has many design options. Shown on the 1/4oz gold coin is a rabbit in mid leap. This is the fourth design in the Australian Lunar Series III. The silver coin has cute colorized rabbits sitting together looking for food.

The rabbit is often portrayed as a sign of luck and a sign of spring. While we can only hope that the Year of the Rabbit will bring good luck, the British Royal Mint has created a beautiful example of a rabbit bringing in the new season on this coin.

The Singapore Mint is another mint with a plethora of options to choose from, including numerous coin shapes. From the classic round coin, to rectangles, octagons, and one with a scalloped edge that is reminiscent of a flower. Fitting for a rabbit bringing in Spring.