Year of the Wood Snake

The Year of the Snake, the sixth of the twelve Chinese zodiacs, begins on January 29, 2025, and ends on February 16, 2026. According to legend, the snake is the sixth sign because, during a race across a river, it wrapped itself around a horse's hoof to make up for its lack of swimming abilities. When they were about to cross the finish line, the snake slid off and secured a place ahead of the horse.

Each Chinese zodiac is associated with one of five natural elements: wood, fire, earth, metal, and water. The elements change yearly. The element of wood is associated with 2025, making it the year of the Wood Snake.

Snakes are born in 1917, 1929, 1941, 1953, 1965, 1977, 1989, 2001, 2013, and 2025. Their personalities can be described as mysterious and wise. They are known to be even-tempered, keep their composure during intense situations, and have many interests and hobbies. They are especially inclined to pursue artistic endeavors. They are full of inspiration and hold a strong intuition. Because of their strong goal orientation, Snakes do not always appear to be passionate, often coming across as cold and selfish, which inspires distrust from others. They struggle with vulnerability and will detach from people to protect themselves.

This year, the Snake is believed to have had unfortunate luck in all aspects of life. Financial stress and lack of recognition in the workforce are expected, as well as poor experiences with love, relationships, and health. They have the best compatibility with Dragon or Rooster signs, and some famous Snakes include Franklin D. Roosevelt, Robert Downey Jr, Nicolaus Copernicus, and Mahatma Gandhi.

Those born in 1929, 1989, and 2025 are considered Wood Snakes. They are said to be intelligent, orderly, and have a refined taste. Well-known Wood Snakes are Martin Luther King Jr., Audrey Hepburn, and Taylor Swift.

Ophidiophobia is the term for the fear of snakes, which affects around 5.5% of adults. Snakes are ranked third overall as the most dangerous to humans, with the most venomous being the inland taipan, which is found most commonly in Australia. One bite can kill nearly 100 humans.

There are almost 3,000 species of snakes found worldwide, and there is a plethora of diversity in their size and markings. Amongst this variety are the world’s longest venomous snake, the king cobra, and the rattlesnake, known for its iconic tail rattle. Also, don’t forget about the anaconda, a boa that can reach up to 30 feet.

With all this in mind, seeing the designs mints have placed on their Lunar New Year coins this year is exciting! Here is a selection of some of the most outstanding examples currently available on the numismatic market.

China’s “Year of the Snake” coins come in various denominations, metals, and shapes. All coins have the Mandarin character for snake in their design and have accompanying auspicious symbols of clouds, flowers, and food.

Mongolia’s Lunar New Year coins from CIT are shaped like a snake. This 1000 togrog “Nimble Snake” comes in silver and gilded with antique and silk finishes. Available for purchase is also a half-gram gold coin and a 5-gram silver bank note.

Downies minted multiple styles for their “Year of the Snake” coins in Niue. All coin designs include the Mandarin character for snake and are available in silver, silver with selective gilding, and gold.

In one design, a snake unravels from a branch with flowers and leaves. Another features a coiled snake with the Mandarin character in the center of its body. The detail in this snake is striking; from the shapes of the markings to the minute details of its scales and eye, it really brings this coin to life.

The Lithuanian Mint kept its signature dot design with this year’s coin. This technique created a beautiful image of a cobra with its hood expanded and tongue emerging from its mouth. The design was minted on both silver and gold coins.

MDM minted “Year of the Snake” coins for Burundi, Samoa, Solomon Islands, and Vanuatu. Burundi’s silver coin includes a carved snake motif made from a jade stone and a 24-karat gold-plated privy mark. Samoa’s silver three-dimensional snake coin has beautifully designed scales and ridges with a black finish. The Solomon Islands has mother-of-pearl in their Lunar coins, which come in both silver and gold. Vanuatu kept with their traditional pearl series by placing a purple freshwater pearl near the mouth of a 24-karat gold-plated snake.

The Republic of Ghana’s “Year of the Snake” silver coin from Mint XXI is designed after the oldest totem in East Asian culture. Its head has a green crystal insert.

A crystal insert and pair of silver and gold-plated intertwining snakes in a black ruthenium finish is the design used by the Mint of Poland for Cameroon’s “Chinese Calendar” series. The Mint also created a coin for Niue, which shows a snake surrounded by seven serpent-like symbols, the Mandarin character for snake, and the words “Year of the Snake 2025.”

Chinese motifs ring around an uncoiling snake with a flickering tongue in France’s Lunar New Year coin. You can clearly see the small, intricate details of the snake, with scales along the top and ridges on the bottom. The snake’s eye is accurately depicted, along with details of its nose and mouth. Coins are minted in silver and gold of various denominations. The quarter-euro common metal coin displays a cartoonish snake designed to appeal to children, surrounded by art, lanterns, and plum blossoms.

Australia’s “Year of the Snake” coins from Perth Mint come in various denominations and metals, all featuring the Mandarin character for snake. Commemorative coins show a snake appearing to rise from a coiled position in a watery scene and are available in silver, silver with selective gilding, and silver with color. Its bullion coins depict a snake wrapped around bamboo sticks. The Perth Mint also minted a traditional children’s Lunar coin for Tuvalu, where a kid-friendly snake is wrapped around a stick with leaves and mushrooms.

A snake with its tongue extended, perched around a stick of flowers and leaves, is the design used by the Royal Australian Mint for Australia. Their coins come in aluminum bronze, copper nickel, silver, and gold. Their proof coins are dome-shaped, and the copper-nickel is tetradecagonal. 

Snakes on Canada’s “Year of the Snake” coins are depicted in various poses with different details on their bodies. Like other mints, Canada used a childlike design for a coin that shows scale-like features on the upper body and ridges on the bottom. On other coins, you can spot a flowered snake coiled around a branch or a serpent wrapped around a Mandarin character as clouds and vine-like designs float in the background.  

Great Britain’s “Year of the Snake” coin features a snake slithering in tall grass. The design by artist Chris Costello celebrates the Lunar New Year, and the Mandarin character for snake is placed near the curve of the serpent’s tail. The coin is available in various denominations of copper, nickel, silver, and gold. 

Minting for Bhutan, Macau, and Singapore, the Singapore Mint stayed with their traditional coinage for their Lunar New Year coins. All countries offer coins in silver and gold, but only Macau and Singapore provide colored versions. Singapore’s design comes in various shapes, including round, octagonal, and rectangular.

The Bhutanese coin features a simple vision of a snake forming an infinity symbol as clouds are used as scales. Macau’s snake is green, pink, and purple and sits atop flowers, and a shining crystal insert is placed near its forked tongue. The famous pedestrian bridge Henderson Waves serves as a Singapore coin backdrop, showcasing a lifelike snake ready to strike.

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